Pokémon Palladium
by 8BitMusic
Summary: He is one of the greatest trainers the Awani Region has laid eyes on. He just doesn't know it yet. Rated T for language and other stuff.
1. Press Start

_This_ is the reason I've been slowing down on my Delinquent Duo fic. Well...that and I've started working at a new job. However, I'm still working on it and I hope my loyal readers can forgive me for the delay. As always, flamers will be hosed. -points at screen- That means _you_.

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Pokémon franchise. If I did, that would be seriously wicked cool!**

Chapter 1 – Press Start

We fade in on a rather beautiful woman in her 30's. She has long brown hair, a tan lab coat halfway buttoned up, gray shirt, long tight jeans, and thin glasses.

"Ah, hello. Didn't see you there for a second. Welcome to the Pokémon World. My name is Holly Cedar, but you may call me Professor. This world we live in is inhabited by prodigious creatures called Pokémon."

The Professor opens a Poké ball. A Delcatty emerges and rubs up against her legs.

"We humans live alongside Pokémon, at times as friendly playmates, at times as cooperative workmates, and at times as partners for battle. But even with all that, there's still so much more we don't know about Pokémon. What are they? Where did they come from? Why…"

"Why are you still boring us to tears?!"

Professor Cedar cleared her throat. "Yes, yes. All that can wait. First thing's first."

The camera pans over to a timid boy with messy brown hair and chocolate brown eyes. He is wearing worn blue jeans, a white t-shirt, and a yellow jacket tied around his waist with a Poké ball printed on the back.

"This is my son," Professor Cedar continued. "He's a little…camera shy. Go on. Introduce yourself."

"Um…I-I'm David and…I'll be 13 in a few days."

Professor Cedar nodded. "My boy here will begin his Pokémon journey across the Awani Region on his 13th birthday! I'm so proud!"

"Wait, what?"

"David," Professor Cedar said, "I hope you have fun on your journey. But for now, I have a little job for you. I'll see you later!"

"This isn't what I agreed on!" David yelled. "I told you a thousand times! I can't train Pokémon!"

* * *

I know this was short, but I guarantee you the next chapter will be much longer. Also, at first I wanted David and Holly's last name to be Redwood, but then that name would be too close to another character I'm introducing later. It took me ages to look up a proper "tree name".

Name: David Cedar  
Age: 13 in three days  
Sex: Male  
Hometown: Amber Town  
Appearance: Messy brown hair, brown eyes. Wears worn blue jeans, white t-shirt, yellow hooded jacket (usually tied around his waist)  
Bio: To call David a "real smarty-pants" would be like calling a rain cloud "wet". He's studied Pokémon extensively in order to become a great trainer like his father. So why does he himself say that he _can't_? We'll find out next chapter.

Name: Professor Holly Cedar  
Age: 34  
Sex: Female  
Hometown: Amber Town  
Appearance: Long brown hair, thin glasses, tan lab coat, gray shirt, long tight jeans  
Bio: Holly Cedar is the foremost authority of Pokémon in the Awani Region, specializing in relations between Pokémon and humans. This is due to the fact that she idolizes Professor Oak and his work.  
Pokémon: Delcatty (Docile, Female)

* * *

The next chapter is simply an exposition chapter. David goes on that little job that his mother mentioned earlier, but there are numerous things slowing him down. And what's more? There's a Hoppip jammed in a tree branch! WHAT WILL WE DO?!

And if you're also wondering, the Awani Region is located to the Northeast of the Johto region. The name comes from the backwards Okinawa. Also, from here on, all important locations will be named after precious gemstones.


	2. I Wish I Weren't Afraid

Chapter 2 – I Wish I Weren't Afraid

Amber Town, 2:00 pm.

Day in and day out, the children battle and play with their Pokémon. The only one who was missing out was a glum 12-year old boy who kept staring out the kitchen window. His name is David Cedar. And why, do you ask, was he not outside with the others? Well…it's because…

"David, there you are!"

…I'll get to that later. The voice who just called David over was his mother, Alice Cedar. People commonly know her as _Professor_ Cedar, since she is indeed the foremost expert in the Awani Region in terms of relationships between Pokémon and humans. Currently, she, her son, and her assistant (Caitlyn) live together in a research lab at the center of town which was easily the biggest building there.

"I need you to pick up a package for me from Lazuli Town," Prof. Cedar said. "I'd do it myself, but Caitlyn and I are swamped with paperwork. You'll take care of it, won't you?"

David turned to look out the window. Beyond the other houses, between this town and the next, was Route 501: a huge meadow with a plethora of wild Pokémon. It was what David called "hell away from home." Oh, I forgot to mention. I asked why David wouldn't play with the kids. The answer is simple, really. It's not that he doesn't like Pokémon. He loved studying them extensively. He's just scared stiff of them. It was all due to an incident right before his tenth birthday. But we'll get to that later.

"You expect me," David said, "to walk all the way through that…that…"

"It's just a straight line from here to there," Prof. Cedar said in a matter-of-fact tone. "You won't have any trouble at all."

"But Mom…"

"Unless you'd like to skip out on your curry tonight?"

David flinched. He loved his mother's super-spicy curry more than anything in the world. "You wouldn't…that's blackmail!"

"It's either one or the other…"

David's hand shook. She's evil. She's pure evil. He could swear, even though she had her back turned, he could swear she was grinning so smugly.

A few minutes later…

It took a while for David to find his shoes, a little longer to find his duffel bag, then march right out the door. He may have been afraid of Pokémon, but nothing would stop him from a plate of super-spicy goodness (at least, that's what _he's_ hoping)! As the concerned mother watched him trudging off miserably through the window, her assistant Caitlyn came up behind her with a small stack of papers.

"You didn't have to lie to him," Caitlyn said.

"I know," Prof. Cedar said with a tear in her eye. "He's going to be 13 in just a few days, you know? I just wish…he wouldn't be afraid anymore. I really do…"

As soon as David reached the edge of town, he froze. He dared not to take a step further, for in that tall grass, lie evil creatures to be feared (at least to him): the Pokémon! David took a deep breath and before he could take another step, someone tapped him on the shoulder.

"David?"

David turned around to see three children behind him and flinched. They all had their Pokémon with them. On the left was a girl with pale blonde hair and thick glasses (Kimmy). A Starly sat on her shoulder. The boy in the middle was slightly taller, had brown hair in a buzz cut and a bandage on his nose (Jimmy). Standing next to him was a Tyrogue with a bandage taped in the exact same place. The one on the right was a little girl with pink hair and a slight blush on her face (Mimi). She held a Buneary in her arms.

"Oh…uh…hey guys," David said, putting on an air of fake confidence. "What's up?"

"You wanna watch how fast my Starly can fly?" Kimmy asked. "Huh? Huh?"

David couldn't help but sweatdrop. "Well, I…"

"Me an' Buneary wanted to play with you for ages," Mimi said. "Right, Buneary?"

"Bun! Bun!"

"Actually…"

"Forget them!" Jimmy said in a huff. "You're Tyrogue's new punching bag today! Got it?!" David cringed as Tyrogue cracked his knuckles.

"Y-Y-You know what?" David said, straightening himself up. "I-I-I've actually got an errand to run for my mom! M-Maybe later, okay?!"

David immediately dashed towards Route 501 without a reply from any of the kids, who simply stood there wondering what just happened.

"Well, this stinks," Jimmy said, putting his hands behind his head. "I wanted to pick on him some more. It's no fun pushing you two around all the time."

"He ran away because you were being a jerk!" Kimmy yelled.

"He's probably still afraid of Pokémon," Mimi said while Buneary looked up at her. "I wish he'd get over what happened soon…"

"It's weird, y'know?" Jimmy said. "He's Professor Cedar's son. _Professor Cedar's_ son. She knows, like, _everything_ about Pokémon. Hmph. Things would definitely be a lot more fun if that guy grows a backbone sooner or later, got it?"

"Yeah…"

"Yeah…"

Further ahead, David rested his head on a tree, breathing heavily. He closed his eyes and pounded his fist on the tree.

_Three days before David's tenth birthday…_

_David was out in the meadow of Route 501, chasing around a couple of Shinx with the other kids (Kimmy, Jimmy, and Mimi). He seemed considerably happier back then and it was pretty obvious he was like the leader of the group. He stopped chasing them when he saw another Pokémon: a Croagunk. It simply sat still, staring into space. David and the others approached Croagunk, but of course, David was the one brave enough to get close to it. It didn't seem too interested in him, so David started making faces at it._

"_Look at him," David said. "Do you think he's dead?"_

_David reached over and tugged on Croagunk's cheeks. That, however, was when he crossed a line…_

"_Crooooo-GUNK!"_

…_and earned himself a Poison Jab right in the stomach, after which he dropped face down on the ground. Neither one moved a muscle after that. After a few silent seconds, the kids had to haul poor David straight back to the lab._

Present time…

David opened his eyes again. _I could've died back then, if Mom didn't call the doctor._ He pushed himself off the tree and kept trudging on, cursing himself for what happened that day. _I wish I weren't afraid…_

And as though on cue, David froze. Sleeping in the middle of the dirt road was a Croagunk: the very same Croagunk whose poison nearly killed David before his tenth birthday. David took his time creeping around the sleeping foul-mouth and continuing on his "quest." He was too distracted by a flock of Starly overhead, however, to notice that the sleeping Croagunk opened its left eye and watched him for a few seconds before going back to sleep.

About ten minutes later…

David had finally reached Lazuli Town. The area was a little bit bigger than Amber Town, but that was merely due to the 10 foot tall Tentacruel fountain in the center of town. Even with the water cascading out from under its orbs, just the sight of it made David feel a little queasy. _Great. Now I'm afraid of statues._

David's breathing was notably lighter now that he was out of the tall grass. He immediately found the Poké Mart where he was supposed to pick up the package and hiked up his duffel bag.

On the inside, David saw lots of merchandise, including Poké Balls, healing Potions, Antidotes, even different sorts of paper for writing mail.

"Can I help you, young man?"

That one came from the clerk, who David immediately walked up to.

"Uh…yeah…I'm from Amber Town and I have a package to pick up."

"Ah. So you're…" He stopped to check a short list. "…picking up for a Cedar?"

"Yes. That's me."

"All right." The clerk put a receipt on the counter. "Just sign here and I'll get you squared away."

David's signature was a little scratchy, but definitely readable. At the same time he wrote his name, the clerk reached under the counter and took out a small parcel, which appeared to be no bigger than a standard-sized dictionary.

"Thank you very much, Mr. Cedar."

David had already run out of the store without another word as he stuffed the parcel in his duffel bag. He could already taste that curry. It was best that he got home as soon as possible. About halfway there, he started to slow down. He couldn't help but wonder what was inside the package. It was too small and too light to be any sort of lab equipment and he was sure his mom wouldn't mind if he opened it early.

But before he could even reach into his duffel bag, he heard a strange noise. He looked ahead to see a frantic Hoppip in a tree, wedged in the branches, struggling to get out. Presumably, it was blown up there by the wind. At first, David wanted to say "Sucks to be you," but really, that just was just too mean. He looked around to see if anyone else could get the Hoppip down, but to his dismay, the only one there was that sleeping Croagunk.

_Wonderful,_ David thought as he looked up at the Hoppip in the tree. _There's only one option left. And I do not like that option one bit. Man…_

David started to climb the tall tree, intent on freeing the Hoppip manually. Hoppip watched as David climbed up, little by little. As soon as he was high enough, David kept his eyes shut and started shimmying across one of the branches. It could barely hold up his weight.

_What am I doing?_ David thought. _I can't do this. I…_

"Hop-piiiip…"

He opened his eyes and saw Hoppip about to cry. There were only two reasons for this: either Hoppip was as scared as he was, or it was actually more concerned for him. Whatever the reason, it gave David enough resolve to reach out for the Hoppip. His hand started to shake a bit as he got closer and closer.

_I…I'm…_

"H-Hop…H-Hoppip…"

"I'M SICK OF BEING AFRAID!"

And as though on cue, one of Croagunk's eyes opened.

Before he knew it, his right index and middle finger had already pushed (more like "jabbed" really) into Hoppip's cheek. A few moments of silence passed.

"I did it…" David said with a nervous smile. "I…I touched a Pokémon. I forgot how cool this was…"

Unfortunately, his victory was cut short when he heard something cracking behind him. The branch was starting to break.

(A/N: The following scene is best viewed in Slow-Motion.)

As the branch snapped, Hoppip fell out due to an unintentional push from David's fingers.

"I gotcha!"

Out of sheer instinct, David stretched out his arm and grabbed Hoppip, falling back first to the ground while holding it close to him.

_I did it…I finally did it…_

WHAM!

(A/N: You may now turn off your Slow-Motion.)

David crashed on the ground and lay out spread-eagled on his back. The Hoppip, which was completely unscathed, sat on his chest and scooted up to look at his face. "Hoppip?"

"Cro-gunk!"

Hoppip looked up at the now wide-awake Croagunk as its cheeks puffed in and out. Hoppip felt a little intimidated and backed away. Croagunk then took David by the foot and started to drag him toward Amber Town.

"Hoppip!"

"Cro?"

Croagunk looked back and saw Hoppip pushing over the duffel bag, which David took off earlier before he went up the tree. Croagunk rolled his eyes and placed the bag on David's chest before he continued to drag him back. Hoppip attempted to follow them back, but a sudden gust of wind blew it away.

* * *

See? I told you it would be longer. Before I go on with the next preview, I have a few more profiles to put up.

Name: Caitlyn Brass  
Age: 26  
Sex: Female  
Hometown: Amber Town  
Appearance: Blonde hair, blue eyes, white shirt, denim skirt, low-heel shoes  
Bio: Caitlyn is Professor Cedar's assistant and usually does most of the paperwork while Prof. Cedar's doing the whole "mother" thing.  
Pokémon: Snubbull

Names: Kimmy, Mimi, Jimmy  
Age: All nine years old  
Bio: Some of the kids in Amber Town who used to look up to David as a leader before the whole incident with Croagunk. Kimmy's a real smarty pants. Jimmy's a bratty bully and says "Got it?" a lot. Mimi has a little "schoolgirl crush" on David.  
Pokémon: Starly, Buneary, Tyrogue (Respectively)

And if you haven't figured it out, I've labeled all the important locations after precious gemstones. Amber Town...obvious. Lazuli Town, however, comes from Lapis lazuli: a semi-precious stone prized since antiquity for its intense blue color.

* * *

Now that that's out of the way...

Next chapter, David wakes up after falling from that tree only to find everything all blurry. Seriously, for some reason, he can't even see straight. He also makes a big decision at dinner time, plus...a birthday party!

I'll save you some cake if you review!


	3. What I Want Is

Only two reviews? I suppose it's okay since I added the first two chapters both at once. Now we're getting to where the real story starts. And to answer your question, Tera Earth, that wild Croagunk isn't a mean Pokémon...not unless you annoy him enough. Which David did.

Chapter 3 – What I Want Is…

"Professor Cedar! Professor Cedar!"

Caitlyn was the first to get to the door. She opened it immediately to see the three youngsters looking really frantic.

"What's all this about?" Caitlyn asked.

"I-It's David!" Mimi said. "He…he's…"

"What? What happened to David?!"

"He's…"

"He's back!" Jimmy chimed in.

Sure enough, there was David right at the edge of town, still unconscious. And Croagunk was sitting right beside him.

"DAVIIID!"

Prof. Cedar and Caitlyn ran as fast as they could to get to David and the Professor's heels actually screeched on the ground when she stopped next to him.

"David," Prof. Cedar said. "David, are you all right?"

No response. No movement. And Croagunk wasn't doing anything to help. The kids and their Pokémon watched in concern.

"David!" Prof. Cedar grabbed David by the collar. "David, say something! Anything!"

"NO!" David's fists suddenly shot into the air, scaring the ever-loving crap out of his mother and the other kids. "I'm gonna win this battle!"

"IT'S ALIVE!!" Jimmy said, clinging to Kimmy.

Everyone, even Croagunk, backed away as David stretched himself out and squinted. "Uh…what happened and why does everything look so blurry?"

Later, back at the Pokémon Research Lab…

"Wait. So…start over, but more slowly."

Everyone was inside the living room area of the lab, except for Croagunk who was sleeping outside. Prof. Cedar's pet Delcatty was resting its head on her lap and David had some bandages wrapped around his head and one on his left arm.

"Well, I was heading back from Lazuli Town and I was about to open that package about halfway there, when I heard this noise. And there was this Hoppip stuck in a tree. My first option was to leave it there, but I didn't see anyone else around who could get it down. So I had to climb up there and get it down myself."

"Wow," Kimmy said.

"Awesome," Jimmy said.

"That's so brave," Mimi said with a blush.

"And reckless," Prof. Cedar and Caitlyn both said.

"I was scared stiff," David continued. "Anyway, I made a huge mistake by actually crawling out on that branch so I could reach the Hoppip. I didn't think I could do it, but when I saw how scared it was, I stretched my arm a little more so I could touch it. I TOUCHED IT! That, unfortunately, was when the branch I was on started cracking. I quickly grabbed the Hoppip and fell to the ground. Then…I woke up here and everything's all blurry now."

"…Weird," Jimmy said.

"Did you hit your head when you fell?" Caitlyn asked.

"Yeah, I did," David said, rubbing the back of his head. "Is that why I can't see right?"

"Well, this is only a theory," Caitlyn said, rubbing her chin, "but I think that conk on your noggin might've affected your vision center. But like I said, that's just a theory. A guess. A speculation."

"Looks like you're going to need glasses, kiddo," Prof. Cedar said.

"Oh." David shrugged. "Whatever. Still…I can't believe that same Croagunk dragged me back here. That thing almost killed me before."

"Well, I didn't want to tell you when you were younger," Prof. Cedar said, "but that whole thing was your fault."

"WHAT?!"

"Let me teach you a little something," Prof. Cedar said, pushing up her glasses. "That particular Croagunk is usually very relaxed around humans. However, when a certain someone starts provoking it for no reason, things can get a little ugly. My favorite part was when you started squeezing its cheeks. Those puffy cheeks are where Croagunk makes its poison. When you squeezed them, its poison pumped much faster. The Poison Jab was only how it says 'Leave me alone'. I hate to say it, but you had that one coming."

David's jaw nearly crashed through the floor. What kind of mom talks like that?!

"That was a pretty stupid move," Kimmy said.

"Even I'm smarter than that, got it?" Jimmy said, folding his arms.

"Sorry, David," Mimi said quietly.

"We'll get you some glasses tomorrow morning," Cedar said. "Right now, it's time for dinner."

"Dinner?" David suddenly sprang to his feet… "CURRY!" …and bolted into the kitchen, causing Prof. Cedar and Caitlyn to sweatdrop.

"Well?" Prof. Cedar asked sweetly. "Do you kids want to join us?"

"Uh…" All three kids sweatdropped. Apparently, they don't have fireproof stomachs like David did.

"I-I've got some homework to do," Kimmy said, running out the door.

"I've got training to do!" Jimmy said, also running out.

"Thank you for having us, Professor," Mimi said, before _walking_ out the door.

The good professor, however, couldn't help but smirk. _Works every time._

During dinner, David did something strange: he didn't eat. He didn't even look at his food. He just picked up his spoon for a few seconds and put it down. This got the good professor really worried.

"David?" Prof. Cedar asked. "Is there…something on your mind?"

"Oh." David said, before picking up his spoon again. "I was thinking about my birthday coming up, y'know?"

"And?" Caitlyn rang in. "Do you know what you want?"

"Actually," David said through a mouthful of curry, "I've given it some thought and…"

"And what?"

"…And…I want to become a trainer."

A few moments of silence passed as David ate another spoonful of curry. Then Prof. Cedar and Caitlyn suddenly burst into laughter, causing David to actually choke on his food.

"What's so funny?!" David yelled. "I knew someone would laugh at me sooner or later, but not you two!"

"Oh…We're not laughing at you, David," Prof. Cedar said, wiping off her glasses. "We're laughing because we're happy."

"Huh?"

Prof. Cedar walked over to her son and put a hand on his shoulder. "Son, when you told me how you rescued the Hoppip from that tree, I was so proud of you. I only wish I could've seen it myself! It's been three years, but you've finally conquered your fears!" She then got her son into a rib-cracking hug. "I'm the proudest mom in the world!"

"No…I…haven't!"

Prof. Cedar slowly let go of her son. "What do you mean?"

"I…I'm just taking it a step at a time," David said. "Ever since that day three years ago, I just kept hating myself for being scared. Then, earlier today, the same Croagunk that nearly killed me saved my life…sort of. I've been thinking about it all afternoon and then I thought, not all Pokémon are scary."

"Of course not. You played with them all the time when you were little."

"I was just getting to that," David said in a blunt manner. "Like I said, I want to get over my fears a little at a time. And what better way than to become a trainer? I wanna be the kind of guy those kids can look up to, y'know?"

"I see," Prof. Cedar said with a smile. "Well, after we get you your glasses, I can give you a starter Pokémon for your birthday."

And David smiled back. "Thanks Mom. But right now, my curry's getting cold, so…" And without another word, David proceeded to scarf down the usually heartburn-inducing curry. He didn't even mind when his mother turned around and pumped her fist victoriously.

Two and a half days later, David's thirteenth birthday had arrived (A/N: At this point, David now wears a pair of thin rectangular glasses). Mimi's parents had planned a little birthday party for him and Mimi even helped bake him a cake (A/N: Awwwww). During the party, David shared some of his cake with Mimi and Buneary, he ran frantically around the lab trying to get away from Jimmy's Tyrogue, who had a knuckle sandwich with his name on it. And finally, everyone went outside to see just how high and how fast Kimmy's Starly could fly. He actually thought it disappeared for a second or two.

An hour or so later, the party had ended and the time had finally come for David to choose his starter. Everyone had come back into the lab to watch David choose. In front of the good professor was a turntable with three Poké balls rotating on it. Delcatty watched earnestly, its tail swishing in the air.

"All right, David," Prof. Cedar said. "As you know, each trainer who comes here is allowed one starter Pokémon. You have a choice of the grass-type, Chikorita, the fire-type, Cyndaquil, and the water-type, Totodile. But, to make things interesting, I'm not going to tell you which one is which."

David swallowed whatever was in his throat. _Why does she have to keep making things interesting?_ Everyone watched with bated breath as David covered his eyes and reached for a Poké ball.

"I choose…this one!" As soon as he laid his hand on the ball, he opened it up and…

"Kyaaaaa!" Mimi's voice shouted. "It's so cute!"

"I want one!" Kimmy's voice rang in.

"Eh…it's all right," Jimmy said.

David lowered his hand from his eyes. Sitting on the table, smack in front of him, was a little black and yellow mouse-looking Pokémon with squinty eyes and a long nose, scratching its side with its foot. David couldn't help but blink at its behavior.

"I chose Cyndaquil?"

Cyndaquil looked up at David. A moment of silence passed between the two as a smile slowly uncurled on Cyndaquil's face. "Cynda! Cyndaquil!"

"It looks like that Cyndaquil really likes you," Prof. Cedar said with a smile.

"And it's a cutie, too," Caitlyn said. "What do you think, David?"

"It…is pretty nice," David said as he slowly reached to pet the Pokémon's head. "Okay! I'll go with Cyndaquil!"

"Cyndaaaa!" Cyndaquil immediately glomped David upon this proclamation, making the girls go "Awwww!"

"By the way, Mom," David said, "what did you want me to get from Lazuli Town? You never did tell me the other day."

"Oh!" Prof. Cedar suddenly put her hands together. "That would be your _other _birthday present."

"My other birthday present?"

"It's funny how things work," Prof. Cedar said, bringing down the little package and handing it to David. "Open it and you'll see what I mean."

David opened the package and took out a small red device that looked similar to a DS Lite. The kids looked at it in awe. "This is…"

"Your new Pokédex," Prof. Cedar finished. "Like I said, it's funny how things work. I sent you down to Lazuli Town, so you could at least try to conquer your fear. Turns out it worked pretty well. I didn't even expect you to want to become a trainer. I only ordered it so you could study Pokémon even further."

"So my decision was like an added bonus for you, right?" David asked, bluntly.

"You could say that," Prof. Cedar said, stroking her chin. "Go on. Give it a try."

"Uh…okay." David opened up his Pokédex and scanned each Pokémon one by one, including his own and a computerized male voice spoke up for each one.

"Cyndaquil – the Fire Mouse Pokémon. It has a timid nature. If it is startled, the flames on its back burn more vigorously."

"It suits you if you ask me," Kimmy said.

"Buneary – the Rabbit Pokémon. It slams foes by sharply uncoiling its rolled ears. It stings enough to make a grown-up cry in pain."

_He scanned my Pokémon first, _Mimi thought, blushing furiously. Actually, David scanned hers second.

"Tyrogue – the Scuffle Pokémon. It is famous for its eagerness to fight and always nurses injuries from challenging larger foes."

"I've never seen you do that," Jimmy said to his Tyrogue.

"Starly – the Starling Pokémon. They flock in great numbers. Though small, they flap their wings with great power."

"Sweet!" was all David could say. "I need to scan more stuff!"

"It doesn't work on other objects," Caitlyn said with a sweatdrop.

"All right. Then I need to find more Pokémon! Maybe that Croagunk's still outside! I'll be right back!" David quickly ran out of the lab with Cyndaquil on his shoulder and the kids followed right behind him. Prof. Cedar couldn't help but smile.

"Funny," she said, "how quickly a child's heart changes when they get a new toy."

* * *

Guess again, Professor.

From now on, I'll be keeping an updated list of the main characters' Pokémon, starting with...

David Cedar  
- Cyndaquil (Male)

* * *

In the next chapter, David and Jimmy have a little practice battle. But at the same time, another rookie trainer comes to Amber Town. A trainer with very...big...um...

"I'm up here, pal."

AHEM! You'll see what I mean. Also, I'll be putting up David's picture on my Deviantart account later, so don't miss it!


	4. Have Faith

Here's the next one. I won't be updating for a bit because I'll be on vacation with my cousins next week.

Chapter 4 – Have Faith

"Croagunk – the Toxic Mouth Pokémon. Its cheeks hold poison sacs. It tries to catch foes off guard to jab them with toxic fingers."

"Great. Wish I knew that sooner."

Of course, even while Croagunk was sleeping, David still kept his distance in case of any sudden Poison Jab attacks. Cyndaquil and the kids couldn't help but sweatdrop at his behavior.

"I guess some things never change," Kimmy said.

"Still a big wuss, like always," Jimmy said, folding his arms.

"So…um…David?" Mimi asked quietly. "Does this mean you'll be challenging gym leaders?"

"Gym leaders?" David blinked. "I…never thought of that."

"Gym leaders are awesome!" Jimmy said. "They have some seriously super-awesome Pokémon! If you can beat eight of them and get eight badges, you can get into the Awani League, where the best of the best trainers compete! That includes me, by the way, got it?"

"If you're the best of the best, then David's got nothing to worry about," Kimmy said, bluntly.

"But the best part," Mimi chimed in, "is that you get to travel around and see the world while you're at it! I can't imagine anything more romantic…"

"Uh…well…" David scratched his head nervously. Cyndaquil looked up at his trainer in concern. "I…need to think about it."

"You can think later," Jimmy said. "Right now, I wanna battle you with my Tyrogue!"

"Uh…battle?"

"Don't chicken out on me now, man!" Jimmy said. "I just wanna see what kinda moves your Cyndaquil's got, got it?! Besides, it's been getting less and less fun pushing Kimmy and Mimi around." At that, Kimmy blew a raspberry at Jimmy.

"Uh…sure," David said. "I guess we can. Let's battle right here. Come over here, Cyndaquil!" Cyndaquil trotted back over to David.

"Let's go, Tyrogue!" Tyrogue walked right in front of Jimmy and cracked his knuckles. "You ready, wimp?"

"I guess so."

At that same time, a new face was approaching Amber Town. A new face with green hair tied in a long ponytail, a pink mini-dress, and very big…um…

"Up here, pal."

_Eyes_. Yes. Very big…_eyes_.

"Pervert."

Ahem. As I was saying, this new girl came speeding towards Amber Town on a red mountain bike covered with a few mud splotches. As soon as she arrived, she slammed on the brakes and hopped off.

"So this is Amber Town," the girl said. "This is the place where I'm finally getting my Pokémon! I'm so excited! Huh?"

Her emerald green eyes suddenly spotted some sort of commotion not too far from her position. Apparently, some kids were watching a battle: A younger brash-looking boy was using Tyrogue while a bespectacled boy whom she figured closer to her age went with a Cyndaquil.

"A battle?" The girl blinked before she got back on her bike and pedaled off. "I've gotta see this!"

"Tyrogue, get going and use Tackle!"

"You use Tackle too, Cyndaquil!"

Cyndaquil and Tyrogue clashed head on and tried to push each other back. Tyrogue seemed to be winning, due to the height advantage (eight inches higher than Cyndaquil). Plus, David had a bit of trouble remembering on the fly what sort of attacks Cyndaquil used.

"Fight back with…uh…Smokescreen!"

Cyndaquil spouted a cloud of smoke from its back, covering up the field. Tyrogue emerged from the smoke, coughing and hacking.

"Now use Tackle again!" David shouted.

"Tyrogue, Rock Smash, got it?!"

Before Cyndaquil could get close enough, it stopped short as Tyrogue brought down its fist, cracking the ground beneath them.

"Now, that's power!" Kimmy said.

"Use Rock Smash again!" Jimmy shouted.

"Duck back and use Tackle, Cyndaquil!"

Cyndaquil jumped back before Tyrogue Rock Smashed the ground again. After that, Cyndaquil charged at Tyrogue with another Tackle attack, slamming it straight on.

"They're both…quite good," Mimi said quietly. "And David's really getting into this battle."

"Yeah," Kimmy agreed, "but their Pokémon are both pretty bushed."

David looked down at his Cyndaquil, then at Tyrogue. It was just as Kimmy said. Both of them looked bruised and battered and could faint at any second. "Uh…Jimmy?"

"Yeah?"

"What say we call this one a draw?"

Jimmy and Tyrogue looked at each other for a second. "Yeah, I got it."

The girls clapped for the "valiant contenders" but stopped quickly when they saw someone else clapping: a taller girl in a pink mini-dress with green hair whose clapping slowed to a stop when everyone stared at her.

"Sorry," the girl said. "I didn't mean to intrude."

"It's no big deal," Kimmy and Mimi said. Jimmy, however, simply stared at the older girl with a trickle of drool cascading from his mouth. Tyrogue waved his hand in front of his face. And for some reason, David felt his glasses slip and had a slight blush in his cheeks.

"Oh yeah!" The girl put her hands together. "I'm looking for Professor Cedar's lab. I'm here to pick up my Pokémon!"

"Huh?" David asked. "You're looking for my mom?"

"Your mom?!"

_They're so big,_ Jimmy thought, smiling a stupid smile.

Later…

Everyone, along with the new girl, was seen walking back to the Pokémon Research Lab with their respective Pokémon by their side.

"So you're David Cedar," the girl said. "I've heard that Professor Cedar had a son, but I never imagined it'd be someone like you."

"Uh..." David scratched his head for a second. "I don't know what you mean by that, but I'm gonna go with it."

"Whatever works."

"So what's your name?" Kimmy asked.

"My name's Faith. Faith Treeborne."

"And what are the names of those balloons you're smuggling under your dress?" Jimmy asked.

SMACK!

A vein had already popped into Faith's head as she rubbed her left hand. "I'm sorry, what did you say?"

"Nothing. Sorry, ma'am," Jimmy said, rubbing the handprint on his cheek.

"I knew that was gonna happen," Kimmy said.

"Poor Jimmy," Mimi said quietly.

"We're getting closer," David said. "You see it, Faith?"

"That big building is where you live?!" Faith said with wide eyes. "That's amazing!"

Later still, back at the lab…

"Mooooom! Company!"

No response. David had never seen the lab empty this early in the afternoon (It's 2:15, by the way). Faith was overwhelmed at the state of the lab, even with equipment and papers scattered all around.

"This place is awesome!" Faith said happily.

"It's not much really, when you've lived here as long as we have."

That came from Professor Cedar who just came downstairs with her Delcatty.

"Hi, Mom," David said.

"She looks taller in person," Faith said.

"Oh! You must be Faith," Prof. Cedar said. "Your father called and said you'd be arriving by now. Are you ready to get your starter Pokémon?"

"Of course I am," Faith said happily. "I wanna get started right away!"

"Now, as I'm sure you've seen," Prof. Cedar explained as she led them both through the lab, "my son has just chosen his starter Pokémon, Cyndaquil, so…"

"Wait, hold on." Faith turned to David. "You're just starting too?"

"Yeah…" David scratched his head nervously. "It's a…long story."

"Anyway," Prof. Cedar continued, reaching the remaining Poké balls, "as I said, David has just chosen Cyndaquil a good while ago, so there are only two starters left right now. The water-type, Totodile, and the grass-type, Chikorita."

"Ooh! Can I see Chikorita?" Faith practically begged. "Pleeeeease?"

The Professor couldn't help but laugh. "Seems like you've made your choice already. All righty then."

Professor Cedar took one of the Poké balls and opened it. From the mass of white light on the table, emerged a Pokémon that vaguely resembled a small green sauropod. It had a necklace of green buds around its neck, a big leaf adorning its head, and large red eyes. It looked up at Faith for a few seconds and bowed politely. "Chi-kori."

"Aww! How cute is that?!" Faith took Chikorita into a big hug. "And it's so polite too! It's absolutely perfect!"

"You really like Chikorita, don't you?" Prof. Cedar said. "Not surprising, really, considering your lineage."

"Lineage?" David felt a little confused.

"You didn't know?" Prof. Cedar asked. "I thought for sure Faith would've told you before you got back. Her father specializes in using grass-type Pokémon in the Malachite City Gym."

"Wait, wait, wait!" David said, holding up his hand. "You're telling me this girl's dad is a gym leader?!"

"Yup," Faith said with a smile. "Pretty cool, huh?"

"So are you gonna be challenging the other gym leaders, Faith?" David asked.

"Nah," Faith said, twirling a lock of her hair. "I'm planning on entering Pokémon Contests."

"Contests?" David blinked. "Oh yeah. I've heard of those…uh…how do they go again?"

"In a Contest," Faith explained, "Coordinators show off how strong and beautiful their Pokémon can be by demonstrating their moves to excite the crowd. My big sis is already an awesome coordinator and I want to be even greater than her!"

"Sounds pretty complicated," David said, scratching his head.

"My policy is to use cute Pokémon that stay cute, even when they evolve," Faith said before hugging her Chikorita again. "And this little cutie is the perfect example! So what about you, David? You just became a trainer today too, right? What are you gonna do?"

"Um…" David pressed his thumb to his lip. "Those kids I was hanging out with were actually wondering if I could challenge gym leaders…"

"Do you _want_ to challenge the gym leaders?" Prof. Cedar asked.

"I don't know…I haven't decided yet."

"The way I see things, gym battles are much more straightforward," Prof. Cedar said. "But I'm not making your decisions. You can decide for yourself. Now, before you two get going I have a few more things for you."

David and Faith watched as Professor Cedar opened up a drawer and took out a few items.

"Here you go," Prof. Cedar said. "Five Poké balls each to get you two started. Any Pokémon you catch can be stored here at this lab. Also, an extra Pokédex for Faith (a pink one). This device is a high tech encyclopedia on Pokémon."

"Cool!" Faith said, opening it up and scanning her Chikorita. Unlike before, however, this computerized voice was female.

"Chikorita – the Leaf Pokémon. It uses the leaf on its head to determine the temperature and humidity. It loves to sunbathe."

"Wait a minute," David started. "You didn't tell me you already had one."

"That one was all I had left," Prof. Cedar said. "I'd order another shipment, but it would take at least a month. Would you rather she have the red one and you have the pink one?"

David looked at Faith for a second, before looking back at his mother. "Thank you for the birthday present, Mom."

"You're welcome, dear."

Faith sweatdropped as Professor Cedar ruffled up her son's hair. _What a mama's boy._

* * *

Good to see everyone's paying attention. Now, allow me to introduce the next protagonist.

Name: Faith Treeborne  
Age: 14  
Sex: Female  
Hometown: Malachite City  
Appearance: Well-tamed green hair in a ponytail, pink mini-dress, emerald green eyes, Skitty handbag  
Bio: Faith wants to prove that she can be just as great (or even greater) a coordinator as her older sister. She has a thing for cute Pokémon that stay cute, even when they evolve and has a habit of giving her Pokémon nicknames. She has a good heart, but gets a little PO-ed when someone makes a perverted comment about her.  
Pokémon: Chikorita (Female)

* * *

In the next chapter, the two finally get going on their Pokémon journey across the Awani Region, but not before hitting a few bumps right off the starting line.

Also, I mentioned before that Faith will be nicknaming her Pokémon. If anyone can think of a good name for Chikorita, let me know.


	5. A Bumpy Start

Yay! New readers! I think I just got a whole lot of EXP. points just for that.

Chapter 5 – A Bumpy Start

A little later, everyone was back outside at the edge of town, ready to see the new trainers off on their journeys.

"Now then," Prof. Cedar started, "the nearest Pokémon Contest is taking place in Peridot City, just east of Lazuli Town. Also, the nearest gym from here is in Topaz City, north of Lazuli Town. However, you'll have to cross the Lapis Cave to get there first."

"So once we reach Lazuli Town," David said, a little shaky, "we pretty much go our separate ways from there, right?"

"I guess," Faith said, lacing her fingers together behind her back. "It's too bad, though. I mean, we just met and now we're gonna say goodbye after visiting just one town? I mean, being a trainer's great and all, but I really don't feel like going alone. Especially without my bike," she added with a vein pulse in her head.

"I said I was sorry, got it?!" Jimmy nearly yelled.

In case you're wondering, while David and Faith were talking with Prof. Cedar, Jimmy and Tyrogue stole Faith's bicycle and "accidentally" smashed it into someone's fence. Calamity ensued.

"You can always travel together," Prof. Cedar suggested. "After all, it's a good way to make interesting battle strategies by learning from each other."

David scratched his chin. "I guess that makes sense."

"I'm gonna miss you, David," Mimi said with a tear in her eye.

"Yeah," Kimmy said, wiping off her glasses. "Me too."

David knelt down to give the two girls a hug, while Jimmy folded his arms and said, "You guys are gonna make me throw up."

"Just admit it, Jimmy!" Kimmy said. "You're gonna miss him too, right?"

"Yeah, but that's no reason to get all mushy. Got it?!" Jimmy turned around and folded his arms. He was grateful that the others couldn't see a silent river of tears flowing from his eyes. Of course, that didn't last long. "Look, David! If you wanna be our leader again, then you gotta catch lots of Pokémon for us to play with! Got it?!"

"Yeah, I got it," David said as he gave Jimmy a low-five.

_Leader?_ Faith thought with a giggle.

"I almost forgot," Caitlyn chimed in. "You'll need to get your pictures taken at the nearest Pokémon Center for your Pokédex. It will then serve as your ID. Of course, you know there's one in Lazuli Town."

"Oh, and not to be nitpicky," Prof. Cedar added, "but do remember to call me up every now and then."

"I will, I will," David reassured her. "Don't worry. I'm gonna be fine."

"Crooooo…"

David stiffened up and slowly turned around to see that Croagunk again staring him right in the face. Its cheeks puffed slowly. In and out. In and out. Just the sight of it made David start sweating profusely. Faith couldn't help but look back and forth between David and Croagunk.

"What's with them?" Faith asked Prof. Cedar.

"David's not too fond of poison-types."

"MOM!" David suddenly snapped. "I'll tell her later. Let's get going, Faith."

As David walked off, Faith turned around and bowed to Professor Cedar ("Thanks for the Pokémon!") before heading after him.

"Well," Caitlyn said, "there he goes."

Mimi tried desperately not to cry. "Oh, David…"

Jimmy folded his arms. "Whatever."

Kimmy looked up at Professor Cedar. "Do you think he'll be all right?"

"He's a smart boy," Prof. Cedar said, a river of tears flowing from her eyes. "It can't be helped. This is how it should be…"

"MOOOOOM!!"

Everyone looked ahead as David went running straight back. He approached his mother, completely out of breath.

"W-What is it, David?"

"I need some money."

And just like that, everyone crashed to the ground. Even Croagunk! David couldn't help but smile sheepishly and Faith couldn't help but put her palm to her face.

_Boys…_

A few minutes later…

"How much did you get?"

David counted his money one more time as he and Faith finally got started on Route 501. David didn't exactly refer to it as a "hell away from home" anymore. Not out loud, anyway.

"Exactly 3000 Pokémon Dollars," David said with a sigh. "It's good to get enough supplies, but I'm not so sure about food."

"It's no big deal," Faith said. "Even if there aren't any restaurants around, we can get ourselves plenty of food at the Pokémon Center."

"I didn't know they do that," David said, adjusting his glasses. "Actually, I've been to Lazuli Town quite a few times with Caitlyn and Mom, but I never actually went inside the Pokémon Center."

Faith stared blankly at David. "Are you sure you're Professor Cedar's son? You don't sound like you know a lot about Pokémon."

"I totally am and I know plenty!" David snapped. "It's just…well…" David nervously flexed his fingers. "…for a few years of my life, I used to be afraid of Pokémon. I didn't even like going outside because of them."

Faith put a hand to her mouth, unsure of what to say. She had heard of cases like this, but never dreamed it would happen to a boy, let alone Professor Cedar's son.

"But it's no big deal," David said, stuffing his wallet in his pants pocket. "I became a trainer so I could work out my fear."

"I'd say that's working already," Faith said happily. "But if there's any way I can help, I'll do what I can."

David stopped dead in his tracks and thought for a few seconds. "Well, I'd like you to watch me catch a Pokémon."

"Huh?"

David took out Cyndaquil's Poké ball and looked at it. "Cyndaquil's a fire-type. Pretty much any Pokémon around here should be fair game, but it could be easier to catch a grass-type. Like…that one!" David pointed to a wild Cherubi that emerged from the tall grass.

"Aww, it's so cute!" Faith crooned before scanning it with her Pokédex.

"Cherubi – the Cherry Pokémon. The small ball holds the nutrients needed for evolution. Apparently, it is very sweet and tasty."

"It's cute all right," David said. "I'm gonna catch this one easy!"

"But I wanna catch it! Look how adorable it is!"

"Forget that! You already have a grass-type!"

"I can have more than one if I want, _thank you_."

As David and Faith argued, Cherubi felt a sweatdrop on the side of its head, turned around slowly and walked back into the tall grass. As soon as they realized this, David and Faith both sweatdropped.

"Well that's just great," David said. "Now it's gone."

"It wouldn't be gone if you'd just let me catch it," Faith grumbled. "Although now that I think about it, maybe it's not such a bad thing."

"What do you mean?"

"Pokémon Contests are all about variety," Faith explained, "and Pokémon of a similar type share similar moves as well. I can't exactly please the judges with the same moves over and over."

"Makes sense to me."

Just then, they heard something flapping in the air. The two looked up and saw a Spearow landing to perch on a tree and pluck something out of its wing with its beak.

"A Spearow, huh?" David said, taking out his Pokédex and scanning the little bird. "They're pretty common around here, too."

"Spearow – the Tiny Bird Pokémon," the computerized voice spoke up. "It flaps its small wings busily to fly. Using its beak, it searches in grass for prey."

Faith looked at the Spearow for a few seconds, then shrugged. "I pass."

"Huh?" David blinked. "You pass?"

"I told you before," Faith said in her matter-of-fact tone, "I only like cute Pokémon that stay cute."

It was probably that comment that caused that very Spearow to start pecking Faith's head angrily. "Ow! Ow! Ow! Get it off! It's messing up my hair!"

David sweatdropped again as Faith flailed around, trying to get that Spearow out of her precious hair.

"All right," David said. "I'll take care of it. Take it away, Cyndaquil!" David tossed out the Poké ball and actually pegged Spearow right in the head, causing David to sweatdrop yet again. "Guess I need to work on my aim."

After that little accident, Faith backed away from the action as Cyndaquil emerged from its Poké ball and shook its head.

"Look, Cyndaquil," David said, "I wanna catch that Spearow. Think you can handle it?"

Cyndaquil nodded. "Cynda!"

Spearow, however, had already come charging at Cyndaquil, but Cyndaquil just barely dodged it. Of course, getting pegged in the head could make just about anyone angry.

"Use Smokescreen!"

As Spearow circled around, Cyndaquil spun around and launched a jet of smoke from its back, blinding Spearow as it got closer. However, it didn't seem to affect it since Spearow managed to nail Cyndaquil right in the chest and shove Cyndaquil out of the smoke cloud.

"Crap. I forgot," David said. "Keen Eye."

"Keen Eye?" Faith asked, confused.

"It's an ability of Spearow's that negates accuracy reduction. Smokescreen won't work!"

As Cyndaquil tumbled back, Spearow took to the air and circled around again.

"Wait 'til it gets closer," David ordered, "then use Tackle."

But before Spearow could get close enough, it let out a low chirping noise, causing Cyndaquil to let down its guard before Spearow could zoom in and Peck it right in the stomach.

"Was that a Growl?" David wondered.

"It's still coming!" Faith shouted.

Spearow continued pecking at Cyndaquil, pushing it back against the tree more and more.

"You've gotta call Cyndaquil back!" Faith shouted.

"I'm not done yet," David said. "Use Tackle!"

Instead, Cyndaquil fired off another jet of smoke, but it soon followed with fire shooting from its back, surprising both David and Spearow. Cyndaquil then shot fiery sparks from its mouth at Spearow. It was clear that this was more damaging as Spearow fell to the ground.

"Whoa," David said, clearly impressed. "I think that's an Ember attack! Do one more!"

As Spearow struggled to get back up, Cyndaquil shot another round of sparks from its mouth, sending Spearow stumbling over again.

"This is great!" David said, tensed up with excitement.

"Don't go overboard, David," Faith shouted. "You still have to catch it!"

"Oh! Uh…right. Here we go." David fished around in his duffel bag and found one of the empty balls. _I'm a little nervous. I just hope I can aim it right this time._ "Here goes something!" David threw the empty ball at the Spearow and, once again, pegged it right in the head. The Spearow turned into some sort of red energy and got sucked into the ball. David could feel his heart pounding as the ball moved side to side for a few seconds before it went completely motionless. A gust of wind blew by as Cyndaquil and the two trainers silently stared at the tiny ball.

"Aren't you going to pick it up?" Faith asked.

"Oh yeah." David walked over and picked up the Poké ball. He looked at it for a few seconds, then looked at Cyndaquil.

"I…I did it. Me. I caught a Spearow."

Cyndaquil nodded. David shuddered a bit before bursting into laughter. Cyndaquil laughed with him, delighted with the capture. Faith simply stared at them for a bit before shrugging and laughing with them as well.

_I wonder if Mom felt this happy when she caught her first Pokémon,_ David thought.

_I really hope we don't do this every time he catches a Pokémon,_ Faith thought with a sweatdrop.

_I have no idea what's going on,_ Cyndaquil thought.

Eventually all the laughter died down. Faith brushed a tear from her eyes and David wiped off his glasses. "Ah…now I feel better."

"Yeah," Faith said. "Me too. I actually forgot what we were arguing about in the first place."

"That's funny," David said. "I forgot too."

"Hm." Faith said with a shrug. "Oh well. Let's look for some more."

* * *

Update:

David Cedar's Party  
Cyndaquil  
Spearow

Faith Treeborne's Party  
Chikorita

* * *

In the next chapter, the two trainers arrive at the Pokémon Center in Lazuli Town, but not before spotting a Pokémon of the rarest breed! The question is, what is it?


	6. A Chance Encounter

Chapter 6 – A Chance Encounter

After a few more unsuccessful captures involving two Bidoof and a Sentret, David and Faith decided to take a break and sat under a tree. Faith had already let out her Chikorita, which was now resting in her lap, and Cyndaquil was also sitting in David's lap. He had to admit, Cyndaquil felt rather warm. A fire-type felt like a good thing to sleep with on those cold, lonely nights.

"By the way, David," Faith started, "I was wondering about something. Those kids back in Amber Town called you 'leader' right?"

"Ex-leader, actually," David said, scratching the back of his head.

"Ex-leader?" Faith tilted her head. "What's up with that?"

"It's kind of a long story," David said, "but I guess I can spare a few minutes. Those kids, Kimmy, Jimmy, and Mimi, they all looked up to me since they were little just because I'm four years older than them. They started calling me 'leader' right off the bat. Whenever we'd have a spare moment, I'd get them to sneak out of Amber Town with me so we could play with the wild Pokémon out here."

"Aw, that's kinda heartwarming," Faith said.

"You'd think so," David said, "but you didn't see what happened before my 10th birthday. One time, we were out here chasing wild Pokémon around when I found this Croagunk."

"Wait. You mean that same one back in Amber Town?"

"Same one." David nodded. "When I first saw it, it was just sitting there completely motionless. I thought it was dead so I tugged on its cheeks for a while. After that, I got Poison Jabbed right in the stomach. The kids had to drag me back into town. Mom said that if she hadn't called the doctor, then I could've died from that poison. I still have the scar on my chest where it jabbed me."

Faith put her hands to her mouth. "That's horrible!"

"I wanted to become a super-awesome trainer like both my parents. But all that changed because of that dumb Croagunk. I grew completely afraid of Pokémon, especially poison-types, and I hated myself for it."

A few moments passed and some wild Starly flew overhead. Cyndaquil and Chikorita both looked at David in concern, but his expression was entirely unreadable.

"So…" Faith started, "…I'm assuming you got over your fears at this point?"

"It wasn't easy," David said, rubbing his head. "Mom sent me on an errand to Lazuli Town and before I got back, I saw a Hoppip wedged in a branch. I didn't want to, but I climbed up there to get Hoppip free and when I did, the branch broke and I plummeted back to the ground."

"You mean that branch up there?" Faith said, pointing to a snapped limb on the tree they were sitting under.

"Yeah." David looked up and saw the very same broken branch he fell from. "And wouldn't you know it? That very same Croagunk that nearly killed me dragged me back into Town. I made my decision to become a trainer at dinner that night. This, by the way, was three days before my 13th birthday _today._"

"Oh, Happy Birthday!"

"Thank you. And so, here I…" David stopped. There was something moving in the tall grass on the other side of the road. Something moving…and apparently glowing pink.

"There's a Pokémon back there," David whispered.

Faith turned around and saw the rustling, glowing grass. "What is it?"

"I don't know," David responded. "I can't see it."

Suddenly, the glowing thing burst out of the grass and sped right past them. Among the figure's glowy-ness, for a brief split-second, David could make out bright blue eyes and a long skinny tail. The figure flew off into the distance before disappearing completely. David and Faith were speechless…for a few seconds.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!" they both yelled at once.

And as though on cue, a rumbling could be heard through the sky. David and Faith looked up at the sky to see dark clouds gathering.

_There's no way this is coincidence, _David thought.

Later…

David and Faith arrived at the Pokémon Center in Lazuli Town soaking wet from the rain. The two of them had to run the rest of the way there. Of course they had already recalled their respective Pokémon and were now hunched over and breathing heavily.

"Suddenly, Mimi's cake felt like ages ago," David said, straightening himself up. "Whoa…get a load of this."

David kept all his senses open as he took in every aspect of the Pokémon Center. The place was crawling with trainers and their Pokémon. There was a boy placing his Poké balls on the front desk, asking a pink-haired nurse to have his Pokémon healed. There were another guy talking on the phone and another few trainers discussing their battle strategies over some food. And for some reason, the air inside smelled a little sterile.

Faith sweatdropped as David looked around the place like some sort of tourist. "This really is your first time in here isn't it?"

"I can really get my Pokémon healed up in this place?"

"Yup," Faith said with a smile. "The nurse at the front counter takes care of everything. And I'm assuming…" Faith squinted at a Poké ball like structure on the corner of the counter. "…that you get your picture taken with that thing there."

David and Faith looked at each other briefly. They were still dripping wet.

"Let's wait til tomorrow," they both said in unison as David walked up to the nurse who, according to the name tag, was named Joy.

"Welcome to our Pokémon Center," Nurse Joy said happily. "How can I help you?"

"First of all," David said, placing his Poké balls on the counter, "can I have my Pokémon healed up?"

"Mine too please," Faith said, holding up Chikorita's Poké ball.

Nurse Joy smiled and picked up all three. "No problem at all. For three it should take about fifteen minutes, give or take."

"Thank you," Faith said.

"Thanks," David said, turning to look out the window. The rain seemed to be coming down harder. "That's some rain, huh?"

"You're lucky you came in when you did," Nurse Joy said. "According to the weather report, it's going to be storming all night."

"Storming all night?!" David shouted. "Uh…Nurse Joy, is there anywhere we can spend the night like an Inn or something?"

"Forget the Inns," Nurse Joy said happily as usual. "We have free lodging for any weary trainers!"

"Free? Are you serious?"

Nurse Joy sweatdropped and said, "You _must_ be new here."

It was now David's turn to sweatdrop. "You got me there."

Nurse Joy giggled. "It's okay. I'll set you both up for a room with two single beds after I take care of your Pokémon."

"Thank you very much," David and Faith said in unison.

As Nurse Joy headed to the back, David put his hands behind his head and looked around. "Well, I'm bored now."

"Maybe you should call your Mom," Faith said, "just to let her know you're okay."

"Eh, she knows I'm okay," David said. "I've traveled here hundreds of times."

"Was it storming when you went those hundreds of times?"

David stopped and scratched his head for a second… "Good point." …before heading over to one of the phones. He knew the number for the lab by heart, of course, and dialed it up quickly.

It took a while for Professor Cedar to respond and when she did, David and Faith recoiled in horror at the sight of her in curlers, a mud mask, and a cranberry-colored terry cloth bathrobe.

"Oh, come on. It doesn't look that bad," Prof. Cedar insisted, "does it?"

"N-No, not at all," David said with a sweatdrop.

"It's…very…becoming," Faith also said with a sweatdrop.

"Hang on a second." The professor turned around to carefully peel off her mask before turning around again. "Ahh…nice and tingly. So what's on your mind, kiddo?"

"I just called to let you know that we made it into Lazuli Town okay." David leaned in and whispered, "It was Faith's idea."

"I heard that!"

"Well it's a good thing you did," Prof. Cedar said. "It's pouring like crazy out here."

"Yeah," David said. "The nurse running this place already told me."

"By the way," Prof. Cedar started, "I noticed that you caught yourself a Spearow. Congratulations!"

"Wait, what?" David blinked. "You can tell?"

"I didn't need to tell," Prof. Cedar said plainly. "You see, when you catch a Pokémon, its capture data is recorded into the Pokédex and is automatically sent over to the lab's server. Also, if you happen to have six Pokémon with you already, any extras that you capture will be sent over to the lab…" She snapped her fingers. "…like that. And any extras that Faith happens to catch will also be sent here as well."

"Uh…Mom? I know that stuff already."

"Oh! Sorry." Prof. Cedar rubbed her fingers together. "I just got a little carried away. By the way, is Faith with you?"

David nodded. "Do you wanna talk to her?"

"Yes," Prof. Cedar said as Faith stepped over. "I need to tell her something important."

"What is it, Professor?" Faith asked.

"Your mother called to tell me that a package has been delivered for you. You can pick it up at the Pokémon Center in Peridot City."

"How did she know we were heading there?"

"I told you the closest Contest Hall was in Peridot City, so I told her as well. Of course, I'm not sure if it's arrived yet, though."

"I get it," Faith said. "Once I get my package, I'll give Mom a call."

"Good work," Prof. Cedar said. "David?"

"Still here, Mom," David said.

"Have you gotten into any trainer battles yet?"

"Well…just the practice battle with Jimmy, but that was more like a draw."

"Well I think you should know that you should battle often," Prof. Cedar said. "There are bound to be trainers out there with stronger Pokémon than yours or Faith's. Your Pokémon won't even know what to do without you two. By working together as a team, you can accomplish more than either you or your Pokémon can accomplish on your own. So train hard to keep Cyndaquil and Spearow's strength up, okay dear?"

"Yeah, I know," David said. "Oh! I almost forgot! Earlier, we saw this weird glowing pink Pokémon, but we didn't know what it was. I couldn't even get to my Pokédex because it disappeared before I could reach for it."

"What did it look like?"

"Well, it was moving pretty fast, but I'm sure I remember blue eyes and a long tail."

Professor Cedar stroked her chin. "Pink…blue eyes…long tail…I'll have to look into this later. Now, hurry up and catch more Pokémon, you two!"

"Uh…it's still raining," they both said in unison.

"Oh." The professor sweatdropped. "Well, good luck anyways. I'll talk to you later!"

"Bye Mom." The video screen shut off.

"She's certainly…" Faith paused to find the right word. "…eccentric."

"Yeah," David said, turning around. "Let's get some food." He didn't even take two steps before bumping into an older boy with a black tank shirt with yellow skull prints, black jeans, and bandages around a few of his fingers.

"Watch where you're going, punk," the older boy snapped before walking off with his hands in his pockets.

David brushed himself off as he and Faith watched the older boy walk away.

"Who's that guy?" David asked himself. "And what's his problem?"

What indeed? I'll award cookies to whoever can guess the mystery Pokémon that showed up during their little break.

Also, if Professor Cedar's speech sounds a little familiar, it's because I stole/modified it from Solid Snake's codec about the Pokemon Trainer in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. I'd like to apologize to Sakurai-san or whoever was in charge of the codecs.

ANYWAY, in the next chapter, Faith gets some face time with her Chikorita, as well as another girl with a Lickitung. Oh, and keep an eye on that kid with the skull shirt.


	7. Rivals

This one's a little shorter, but it does have a purpose. And to miss Rokusangria, I'm glad you're staying with me all this time and I'll try to add more detail, but not so much to distract from the plot.

...

Yes, there's a plot. Also, I'm a little disappointed that no one came up with any nicknames for Chikorita. Guess I'll go with my original idea.

Chapter 7 – Rivals

The next morning…

David opened the window to his room and looked outside. The rain had stopped and the sun was now blinding. He could see what was left of the rainwater dripping from the trees. And what's more, apparently, Faith had already left. (A/N: Before anyone says anything, they did in fact sleep in separate beds.)

David headed downstairs from the lodging area and saw the nurse doing a check up on a little girl's pet Buizel.

"Uh…Nurse Joy?" David asked.

"Oh, you're awake," Nurse Joy said. "The girl you were with told me to tell you she was going to train outside."

"Oh…okay," David said, a little flustered. "I'll just grab something to eat then."

David got himself a rice ball from the vending machine and walked outside to see Faith with her Chikorita out, swinging its big leaf around.

"Yeah! Just like that, Wildleaf," Faith shouted. "Now, use Razor Leaf!"

Chikorita leapt into the air and swung its leaf in circles, shooting sharp leaves to cut through the waterfalls from the giant Tentacruel fountain.

"Good! Now do it again!"

"Wildleaf?"

Faith and "Wildleaf" spun around to see David smirking. "What kind of nickname is that?"

"Well, I think it suits her just well!" Faith snapped.

"Her?" David blinked. "Your Chikorita's a girl??"

"…Couldn't you tell?"

David sweatdropped. "Do you really want me to answer that? What are you doing out here anyway? Have you even eaten yet?"

"Are you kidding?" Faith asked sarcastically. "It's a beautiful day and I'm gonna soak in every minute of it. Besides, I figured I'd get to know my Pokémon better with a little Contest practice. So far, I found out Wildleaf can use Tackle, Sweet Scent, Razor Leaf, and Synthesis. You're training for gyms, right? You should try it too."

"Did you say you're training for a Contest?"

Everyone turned once again to another girl who appeared to be Faith's age with shoulder-length brown hair and bluish-green eyes. She wore a white t-shirt with yellow diamonds on the front as well as purple jeans and matching purple baseball cap (backwards). Right behind her was a chubby Lickitung, trying to keep out of sight.

"Where'd you come from?" David asked.

The girl tilted her head. "My Mom?" David crashed to the ground after this comment.

"So what were you saying?" Faith asked.

"Nothing much," the girl answered. "I was just curious about your Contest training. I'm pretty impressed by how well behaved your Chikorita is. How long have you had it?"

Faith scratched her head nervously. "One day. I actually just became a trainer yesterday. Oh! I completely forgot. My name's Faith, by the way. And this is Wildleaf."

"Chi-kori." Wildleaf bowed politely.

"And I'm David."

"Well, it's nice to meet you both. My name's Kimberly and I'm a coordinator too. And this…" Kimberly took a _big_ step to the right, leaving her Lickitung exposed. "…is my super cuddly Lickitung!"

Lickitung suddenly squealed and ran behind Kimberly again.

"He's a little bashful," Kimberly said with a giggle.

"Aww, that's so sweet!" Faith said, taking out her Pokédex.

"Lickitung – the Licking Pokémon. Instead of hands, it uses its tongue, which is twice its height. Its sticky saliva grips anything."

"So where are you headed to anyway?" David asked.

"Well, I'm heading to the Pokémon Contest in Peridot City," Kimberly said.

"We're heading there too," Faith said, picking up Wildleaf. "I guess this means we're going to be rivals then, huh?"

Kimberly scratched her head. "I guess. But you seem nicer than most, so that's okay. Anyway, we're gonna get going."

"You're leaving already?" Faith asked.

"The Contest isn't for another few days," Kimberly said, "but I need to look for another Pokémon for my team."

"Oh! Can I ask you one more thing?" Faith asked.

"You just did," Kimberly said in a matter-of-fact tone. "But I'll allow one more."

"Um…Do you know where I can find some cute Pokémon?"

Kimberly looked at her Lickitung for a second and scratched her head. "I…don't know your definition of 'cute,' but on the way to Peridot City, there's a river that cuts through Route 502. I think you'll be able to find some wild Marill there."

"EEEEEEE!" Everyone backed off and Faith suddenly squeezed Wildleaf hard enough for her eyes to nearly pop out of her head. "Marill are so cuuuuute!"

"Uh…Faith?" David started, but there was no stopping her.

"Marill are the cutest things ever! That soft, slick body. Those big wiggly ears. Those cute black eyes! It's to die for!"

Suddenly, in the midst of Faith's zeal, Wildleaf spun her big leaf like a fan, causing Faith to stumble back and Wildleaf to hyperventilate after escaping from her arms.

"I'm sorry, Wildleaf," Faith said with a sweatdrop. "I just get a little carried away when I start thinking about super-cute Pokémon."

"A_ little _carried away?" David and Kimberly both said with matching sweatdrops while Faith laughed sheepishly.

"Well, I've got work to do," Kimberly said, running off with her Lickitung. "Keep up the good work, Faith!"

"See you later!" Faith shouted with a wave.

"She was nice," David said.

"Yeah," Faith agreed with a nod. "Well, we might as well get some supplies before we head out." _I can't wait to catch a Marill!!_

"I just need to get my coat out of my room first," David said, heading back to the Pokémon Center, but not before meeting the skull-printed older boy at the door.

"You again?" the boy said.

"Hey," David said. "Uh…sorry about bumping into you last night."

"You could've said that earlier, you know?" the boy said grumpily. "From the look of things, you must be a new trainer. Talk about pathetic."

A vein blossomed in David's head. "What's that supposed to mean?!"

The boy could only smirk. "You'll find out…if you agree to a battle."

"A battle?" David blinked. "Right here?"

"Why not?" the boy said, smugly. "There's plenty of space, which makes this street perfect for a battle area."

"Well, if you say so," David said, digging into his duffel bag for his Poké ball. "Faith, you mind refereeing for us?"

"I guess so." Faith and Wildleaf stood back by the fountain and flinched a bit when the boy stared at her.

_He's a little creepy,_ Faith thought.

_Look at the size of her breasts,_ the boy thought with a faint blush.

"Hey!"

The boy snapped back into reality when David called him. Apparently, he'd already stepped out onto the street. "What's your name anyway?"

The boy took out a Poké ball as he walked out to the street as well. "The name's Eddy. Eddy Graves. And you are?"

_Yeesh. Even his name is creepy._ "I'm David Cedar."

* * *

Name: Kimberly Sharpe

Age: 14

Sex: Female

Hometown: Amethyst Town

Appearance: White tank shirt with a flower on it, purple jeans, backwards baseball cap, long brown hair, bluish-green eyes

Bio: A rather tomboyish dresser with a bubbly personality. She has a slight obsession with anything purple and has a passion for techno music.

Pokémon: Lickitung, ??

In case you're wondering, this Kimberly is a lot like the Kimberly from my Cut Man X story. In fact, I plan on adding characters from my other fics into this story. If Lucky Star can get away with it, why can't I?

In the next chapter, David gets into his first real trainer battle. Eddy's Pokémon are a little feisty, to say the least.


	8. David VS Eddy: Round 1

Chapter 8 – David VS Eddy: Round 1

Eddy raised an eyebrow. _This is Professor Cedar's kid? I'm not impressed._ "All right. We'll each use two Pokémon. Last to fall loses."

"That's fine by me," David said.

"Hit it, Totodile!" Eddy tossed out his Poké ball and a blue reptilian Pokémon emerged from the white light within. Totodile snickered with a hungry look on its face.

"A Totodile?" David quickly took out his Pokédex.

"Totodile – the Big Jaw Pokémon. It has the habit of biting anything with its developed jaws. Even its Trainer needs to be careful."

"Sounds like a mean little critter," David said.

"And I guess that explains those bandages around Eddy's fingers," Faith said.

"Hey! Hurry up and send out your Pokémon!" Eddy shouted.

"All right already! Take it away, Spearow!" David also threw out a Poké ball and his newly caught Spearow emerged from the white light. "You ready for our first trainer battle?" Spearow nodded and took to the air.

"Doesn't matter if it can fly…" Eddy said.

"Begin the battle!" Faith shouted.

"We'll snipe it from down here!" Eddy shouted. "Totodile, Water Gun!"

Totodile shot a blast of water from its mouth, but it just barely missed Spearow's wings. "Keep shooting, Totodile!"

"Dodge it, Spearow!" David ordered. Spearow had to bob left and right to dodge the incoming Water Gun attacks. It nearly crashed into the fountain when a well aimed Water Gun shot it down from the sky. Faith had to duck back as it came down.

"Now use Scratch!" Eddy said.

"Land and use Peck!"

Totodile rushed ahead as Spearow came falling, but at the sound of David's voice, Spearow managed to spin around and land on its feet before nailing Totodile straight in the chest with its beak.

"Now use Fury Attack!" David ordered.

Faith's eyes widened in as Spearow kept on pecking at Totodile, who could only dodge a few of the Fury Attacks. _So this is what a real battle's like. Up until now, I've only watched battles on TV, but this is so much different when you see it up close! This is so exciting!_

"Quit screwing around!" Eddy shouted. "Bite it now!"

Totodile leaned to the side, allowing Spearow's next peck to miss. It then sank its powerful teeth into Spearow's left wing, causing Spearow to squawk in pain.

"Oh no! Spearow!"

"Now swing it around!" Eddy said with a smirk. Totodile also smirked as it swung Spearow around with its mighty jaws and slammed it into the ground. When the dust cleared, Totodile had removed its jaws from Spearow's wing, and Spearow had passed out with thick spirals in its eyes.

"Spearow is unable to battle," Faith announced. "Uh…sorry, David."

"Crap." It was inappropriate, but it was all David could think. "Spearow, return!" He then returned his Spearow to its Poké ball.

"One more and I've won this battle," Eddy said as Totodile snickered.

David put away Spearow's Poké ball in his duffel bag and took out Cyndaquil's. _I know that Fire-types aren't so good against Water-types. However, I also know that Totodile puts a lot of strength behind its attacks, but not much else. Not only that, but it's taken a lot of damage from Spearow too. This'll be easier than I thought._ "Cyndaquil, take it away!"

David tossed out the ball and Cyndaquil emerged from the white light. Eddy and Totodile both stared in confusion as Cyndaquil squeaked angrily.

"Is this a joke?" Eddy asked. "You should know Fire-types are pretty much dead meat against my Totodile."

"Yeah," David said, scratching his head, "but…"

"It's all he has left!" Faith blurted out.

"FAITH!!"

"Sorry…"

"You really are a newbie," Eddy said. "This is gonna end faster than I thought. Totodile, Water Gun!"

"Wait! I didn't say you could start!" Faith shouted frantically.

Totodile took a deep breath and let out a blast of water.

"Dodge it and use Smokescreen!" David ordered.

Cyndaquil rolled to the side while letting out a thick cloud of smoke from its back which soon covered part of the street as well as Totodile itself. Totodile looked around anxiously in the thick smoke for Cyndaquil. Faith started to notice other people were watching the battle as well.

"Totodile, don't panic," Eddy said. "Cyndaquil can't hide in there forever."

"Use Tackle, Cyndaquil!"

Totodile, quite literally, couldn't see it coming. Before it knew it, it'd been pushed out of the smokescreen cloud by Cyndaquil's body blow and fell right on its back. Just like before, Totodile had thick spirals in its eyes.

"Geez…"

"Totodile is unable to battle! YAY!" Faith cheered, until she felt a rather incensed glare from Eddy. "Uh…I mean, not bad, David."

David could only sweatdrop. _This guy needs to lighten up._

"Tch. Totodile, return." Eddy also returned his Totodile to its Poké ball and took out another one. "No big deal. My other Pokémon's even stronger. Hit it, Duskull!"

Emerging from the second burst of white light within the ball was a small black-robed Pokémon with a skull mask. David could see a glowing red orb floating behind the mask, presumably its eye. Of course, Faith couldn't help but shudder at the sight of it.

"Man, that's even creepier than he is," Faith said as she took out her Pokédex.

"Duskull – the Requiem Pokémon. It doggedly pursues its prey wherever it goes. However, the chase is abandoned at sunrise."

David was also shuddering. Considering he was still somewhat afraid of Pokémon, it wasn't much of a surprise. Cyndaquil looked up at its trainer in concern.

"What's the matter?" Eddy asked. "Don't tell me you guys are afraid of my Duskull?"

"Actually…I'm shaking because I'm excited!" David said with a smile. "Cyndaquil, let's win this one too!"

"Cynda, cynda!"

"You just got lucky when you beat my Totodile," Eddy said, "but I'm ending your lucky streak right here! Duskull, Night Shade!"

Duskull shot a black beam from the mask's eyeholes. It streaked across the ground and struck Cyndaquil head on, sending it tumbling back. Cyndaquil then pushed itself back up on its feet.

"That thing's fast!" David said, a little astonished.

"Night Shade's power varies with the level of the Pokémon using it," Eddy explained. "I'm a little surprised that your lame-o Cyndaquil's still standing after a blast like that."

"We've got some power behind us too!" David shouted. "Use Ember now!"

The flames on Cyndaquil's back lit up again as it shot a flurry of sparks right at Duskull…

"Quick! Double Team!"

Duskull glowed white for a split-second and started producing copies of itself, allowing the Ember attack to pass through one of them harmlessly. Cyndaquil then anxiously looked around as it was surrounded by Duskull's shadowy copies.

"Stay cool, Cyndaquil," David said. "They're not all real."

"But _this_ one is!" Eddy said, smirking. "Dive down and use Astonish!"

The Duskull copies disappeared and the real one came falling from above, screaming horribly.

"From above?!" David said. "Use Smokescreen to hide!"

Duskull's attack was cut short when another cloud of smoke spouted from Cyndaquil's back. Duskull quickly got lost in the thick smoke.

"Use Foresight, Duskull."

The red eye behind Duskull's mask glowed as it shifted around in the mask, searching for Cyndaquil amongst the smoke. As soon as it was found…

"Hurry up and use Ember!"

Duskull was bombarded once again by Cyndaquil's shower of sparks.

"Come on! Night Shade!"

"Use Ember again!"

Once the smoke cleared, Duskull launched another black beam attack at the same time Cyndaquil shot out more sparks. The attacks collided in mid-air and exploded due to an overload of power, causing both Pokémon to fall and tumble backwards.

"Come on, Cyndaquil! Get on your feet!"

"You'd better not lose, Duskull!"

Cyndaquil and Duskull both struggled to get back up. The two Pokémon stared at each other for a few seconds, only to drop back down again. Cyndaquil had thick spirals in its eyes while the red eye in Duskull's mask merely faded.

"Looks like a tie," Faith said. "Wow. I _really_ didn't see that coming."

"Cyndaquil!" David ran over to check on his Cyndaquil.

"Just as I thought."

"Huh?"

Eddy returned his Duskull to his Poké ball and walked away.

"Hey!" David shouted. "Where do you think you're going?!"

Eddy stopped and turned around. He had a rather serious look on his face. "Go home. Someone like you isn't cut out for a trainer's life."

"Go home?" David stood up and pushed up his glasses. "I can't do that. Otherwise there'd be three people who'd be really upset with me." David, of course, was referring to Kimmy, Jimmy, and Mimi.

Eddy cracked his neck for a second before walking off again. "Just don't follow me, right?"

David and Faith both stared as Eddy walked off. "What's his problem? Now I have to get my Pokémon healed _again._"

"By the way," Faith started, "did you get your picture taken?"

"I…did…not," David said with a sweatdrop.

"Me neither." Faith also sweatdropped.

David and Faith both went back inside. They didn't notice, however, a blond haired guy in his late teens in a black and purple uniform and a white coat leering at them from behind his DS Lite during the whole ordeal with Eddy. The blond could only smirk.

"Tch…n00bs."

* * *

The blonde guy will have significance later in the story. Anyway...

* * *

Name: Edward Graves  
Age: 15  
Sex: Male  
Hometown: Tigereye City  
Appearance: Black shirt w/ yellow skull print, black jeans, short black hair  
Bio: ??  
Pokémon: Duskull, Totodile

This guy has a similar code of ethics as Paul (from the anime), but he's not completely cruel, though. Eddy actually has a reason for being so mean. But we'll get to that later.

In the next chapter, David and Faith go off on a quest for Marill! But what does that Ekans have to do with anything?!


	9. Ekans' Hunger

Whew. Sorry I'm late. I would've updated this sooner, but my file got corrupted somehow. And now I have to rewrite this and chapter 10 all over again. With that in mind, I'm wondering if I should update the fic as soon as the chapter is finished. But really, I'm trying as hard as I can. Please understand that.

Chapter 9 - Ekans' Hunger

About 20 minutes later…

David and Faith were once again on the road. David was a little miffed that he had to get his picture taken twice, since he sneezed during the first take.

"I still liked the first one better," Faith said.

"Well I guess _you_ would." David asked before setting his eyes forward. "Whoa…"

Route 502 certainly had more trees and tall grass than 501. And just as Kimberly said, a river about 10 feet in width flowed right through the middle of it all. And right over that river was a wooden bridge that looked very old. And though they couldn't be seen, the voices of various wild Pokémon could be heard all around the two. But while David paused to take in the sight, Faith immediately ran ahead.

"Faith, where are you…?"

"We'll cover more ground if we split up," Faith said. "Let me know if you see any Marill!"

David sweatdropped as she ran ahead. _Well, I'm glad she's all psyched._ David then put a hand to his chin as he walked towards the bridge. _Now, let's review what I know already. What is Marill? It's blue. It's chubby. It has big ears. And its tail works like a float. Now, I know what it looks like. How do I find it? Ooh! I know!_ David fished around in his duffel bag and took out a Poké ball. "Cyndaquil, come on out!"

Cyndaquil emerged from the white light and looked up at his trainer.

"Hey Cyndaquil," David said, "think you can help me sniff out some Marill?"

Cyndaquil nodded once and started to sniff the ground to pick up a scent. It then started to toddle across the wooden bridge with David close behind, still thinking hard.

_That sniffer of Cyndaquil's will be a big help,_ David thought. _But still, I can't help but wonder if Cyndaquil knows what a Marill smells like. Or even if he does, it won't help if Marill is __in__ the water. However…_ David stopped when he heard something rustling behind him. "Wait, Cyndaquil."

David ran back to the edge of the bridge to see one of the chubby mouse Pokémon emerge from the shrubs nearby the river. It glanced around warily before staring up at David as he and Cyndaquil drew steadily closer.

_There it is!_ David thought. _But what is it looking for?_

"Marill – the Aqua Mouse Pokémon. Using its tail as a float, it dives underwater. It likes eating plants that grow on river bottoms."

_What the…?_ David thought suddenly. _That wasn't my Pokédex._ He looked to his left to see Faith right next to him. Her eyes were sparkling like diamonds and her Pokédex shook in her hand.

"Uh oh."

"There it is," Faith said. "It's even cuter up close! I'm gonna catch it!" Faith immediately ran forward and fished for a Poké ball from her handbag. But her moxy was quickly cooled off by Marill's well-aimed Water Gun to the face. She stood completely still, dripping wet once again.

"That was uncalled for," Faith said, grumpily.

"Actually, it was just being cautious," David said. "I noticed earlier that this Marill was on the lookout for something. It was like…I dunno…guard duty or something."

"But what's this one guarding?"

"Beats me."

Suddenly, a hissing sound was heard. David froze completely as an Ekans slithered between his ankles and raised its head upon meeting the Marill, who held up its arms in an attempt to block it. Ekans hissed angrily, forcing Marill to quiver in fear.

"What is that Ekans doing?!" Faith asked.

"I d-d-don't know," David stuttered, "b-but it's freaking me out!"

Ekans lunged forward and sank its fangs into Marill's right ear, causing it to cry out in pain.

"Oh no!" Faith shouted. "Don't you hurt that Marill! Wildleaf, come out and use Razor Leaf!"

"No, wait!"

It was too late. Wildleaf had already emerged from the white light and face down Ekans. It turned to Wildleaf, who swung its big leaf and launched a volley of sharp-edged leaves at the Ekans. However, Ekans didn't flinch from the attack.

"Wha…what happened?!" Faith shouted, stunned.

"I was trying to say," David said, "Grass-attacks don't work well against poison-types!"

"You could've told me that sooner!"

Amidst the argument, Chikorita had fallen on its side after getting struck by several poison needles launched from Ekans' mouth.

"Oh…" Faith looked shocked as Ekans opened its jaws wide. "What do I do now?!"

"I've got this!" David said. "Cyndaquil, protect Wildleaf! Use Ember fast!"

Cyndaquil's back immediately flared up before it shot a flurry of sparks from its mouth. Ekans nearly fell over from the attack, and judging by a certain smoking spot on its body, it must've gotten burned in the process. Ekans then proceeded to slither into the river in order to cool off its burn.

"That takes care of that," David said, wiping his brow. _Thank God it's gone._

"Oh, Wildleaf…" Faith bent down next to her Chikorita and scooped her up in her arms. "I'm so sorry…"

"Chi…" Wildleaf said, weakly.

A little later…

Faith continued to look at Wildleaf in concern as she and David followed the Marill behind the bushes. David already gave Wildleaf some Antidote that he bought at the Mart in Lazuli Town, but despite that, Faith was still worried.

"Some trainer I am," Faith said, gloomily, "I can't even watch my own Pokémon's back during battle."

"Don't be so hard on yourself," David said. "It's not all your fault. I should've told you that Poison attacks are stronger against Grass-type Pokémon." _I could've done more if I didn't freeze up. Crap. I hate being afraid!_

In a short while, the Marill led them out to a clearer area in the tall grass. In that area, a slightly smaller Marill was seen guarding three blue oval shaped objects.

"They're…eggs!" Faith said cheerfully. "That smaller Marill must be the mother."

"So does this mean you're the father?" David asked the bigger Marill, who nodded in response. "I think I'm starting to get the picture here. I've read that Ekans like to eat Pokémon eggs. That one must've found out about this nest somehow."

The two Marill looked at their eggs, then at each other in concern. Then, Faith crouched down next to them and smiled.

"Don't worry, you two," Faith said. "We'll help protect these eggs."

David raised an eyebrow at her. "We will? I mean, don't you have a Contest to get to?"

"Well, it's not like the Contest Hall is going anywhere," Faith said in a matter-of-fact tone. "Besides that, we have to help those Marill protect the eggs, at least until they hatch. Honestly, stop using your brain and start using your heart!"

David looked shocked for a second, then scratched his head. "All right. I'll help too. At least until the eggs hatch." _But who knows how long that'll take?!_

At that instant, David heard more hissing noises and spun around. "Sounds like that Ekans is finished licking its wounds."

"All right," Faith said, all gung-ho-like. "This time, I'll-"

"I'll face Ekans this time."

Faith's eyes widened. "But…David…?"

"You saw what happened with Wildleaf last time," David said. "Cyndaquil and Spearow have a better shot at this. We can handle it."

"That's not it," Faith said, looking down. "Your legs are shaking like crazy."

David did indeed feel his knees knocking together and also felt a bead of sweat roll down his head. "Uh…yeah. If you could just give me a push…"

Faith smacked herself in the head. _Boys…_

---- (-o-) ----

Once again, Faith and David were in front of the bushes. David was sweating quite a bit because he was facing not one, but _two_ Ekans this time. He recognized the first one right off the bat, but the second one looked a little bigger and even more intimidating.

_I'm okay,_ David thought to himself. _I'm perfectly fine. I'm not afraid…_

The larger Ekans hissed angrily, causing David to flinch. _I WANT MY MOMMY!_

His eyes widened, however, when he felt a small hand on his shoulder. "Faith? What are you…?"

"I know you're afriad of being poisoned again," Faith said. "If it happened to me too, I'm sure I'd understand how you're feeling. But this is different from back then. Now you have your Pokémon, your friends to help you out. You also have-HERE IT COMES!"

The larger Ekans was ready to sink its fangs into David's leg, but it was stopped cold by a well-aimed Water Gun to the face. A vein popped in Ekans' head as it leered at the offender: that very same Marill with the bite marks still in its ear, with a mean-looking scowl. The big Ekans hissed angrily once again before lunging at the Marill.

"Oh no you don't!" David shouted, tossing out a Poké ball. "Quick, Cyndaquil! Use Ember fast!"

Cyndaquil emerged from the ball and shot a flurry of sparks at the big Ekans, causing it to turn _his_ way instead.

"Now use Tackle!"

Both Cyndaquil and Marill both charged down the Ekans, sending it careening into the river.

"Yay! We won!" Faith cheered, hugging her Chikorita tightly.

"Not yet," David reminded her. "There's still one more." David looked around and saw that the first Ekans had already slithered into the tall grass. "Oh crap! Cyndaquil! Marill! After it!"

Cyndaquil and Marill both charged into the grass after the Ekans which, by this point, had already approached the nest. The mother Marill had raised her arms to protect the eggs, but Ekans merely bared its fangs. However, before it could get any closer, it cried out in pain after both Cyndaquil and the father Marill had jumped on Ekans' tail. Ekans tried desperately to squirm away and attack the mother Marill, but it stopped when the eggs started to glow.

David and Faith ran back into the tall grass to see what was happening and everyone had to cover their eyes as the eggs glowed brighter and started to crack. Faith, however, was the only one who would venture closer. When the light dimmed out, everyone else opened their eyes and saw three tiny Azurill fast asleep. The one in the middle was the first to wake up, and the first thing it saw was…

"They're…adorable!"

That, of course, was Faith. Azurill looked up at Faith and smiled as she scooped it up in her arms and hugged it happily.

David blinked for a second and said, "Uh…Faith? Don't you think you should leave parenting to…I dunno…the parents?"

Faith suddenly stopped and looked down at the two Marill, who simply stared back up at her.

"Sorry," Faith said. "I got carried away again." She then put down the little Azurill, who hopped over to its parents. By this time, the other two Azurill had awoken and decided to play with the first one. While Faith was entranced by this scene, David noticed Ekans slithering away into the tall grass behind them.

"I guess it wasn't interested anymore," David said, wiping his brow, "now that the eggs have hatched. So what do you wanna do now, Faith?"

Faith wasn't listening. She was still watching the Azurill, who were now playing with the Marill parents.

"Faith!"

"Yah?"

"I asked you what you want to do," David said, folding his arms. "You said you wanted to catch a Marill, right?"

The two parents immediately widened their eyes at Faith. She didn't even bother to turn around, though. She just lowered her head.

"Don't be so tactless, David," Faith said. There was no ounce of cheerfulness in her voice that time. "I do want to catch one, but I'd feel bad about splitting up the family. No one deserves to do such a thing. Am I wrong, David?"

David's eyes widened. Not only did she say something incredibly deep, but he could've sworn he saw her shiver for a second. "No, that's true."

"Besides," Faith said, standing up. "I'm sure there are plenty of other Marill around here. I'll just catch one of them instead."

"Well, if you say so," David said, pushing up his glasses.

Faith walked over to join David, but stopped when she noticed one of the Azurill hopping tearfully over to hear and wrapping its tail around her leg. She recognized it immediately as the one she played with first.

"What's wrong?" Faith asked as she picked it up. "Why are you crying?"

Azurill stared up at Faith with tearful eyes. "Azuuuuu…"

"I think I know." David put a hand on Faith's shoulder. "Looks like Azurill wants _you_ to be its parent now."

"Really??" Faith said with a blush. "I mean, I'd love to, but you're so young and…what do your parents think?"

She looked down at the two Marill parents, who looked at each other for a second and nodded at Faith. David smiled as Faith happily hugged _her_ new Azurill.

"So…what do you think I should name it?"

* * *

Update:

Faith Treeborne's Party  
- Chikorita  
- Azurill

I like how this one turned out. Faith catches an Azurill, but what was she so sad about just earlier? We'll find out later. In the next chapter, Faith and David are getting closer and closer to Peridot City, but not before getting challenged to a battle. Who is this "gatekeeper" of Peridot City? Prepare to be surprised.


	10. Who Let the Bugs Out?

Again, no one came up with a name for the newborn Azurill. No biggie. I'll just go with my original idea. Now, allow me to reply to my reviewers.

**Tera Earth **-See above. And no, the gatekeeper is a new character I'm bringing in right now.

**Roku** - I'm glad you're liking how it's coming out.

**Skyline Stanza** - Mix and match, eh? A little late for that now, but good idea nonetheless. I'll give it a shot I make another fic like this.

**Chapter 10 – Who Let the Bugs Out?**

"Azurill – the Polka Dot Pokémon. A Pokémon that lives by water. It moves quickly on land by bouncing on its big tail."

In the end, it was David who looked up Azurill's Pokédex entry, as Faith had been playing with her newborn Azurill for about 15 consecutive minutes. By the way, it was also David who came up with the nickname "Marina" for the little Polka Dot. The two of them could see some of the buildings of Peridot City peeking through the tree branches.

"I still can't believe I caught my very first Pokémon without even battling it," Faith said happily.

"At least Marina didn't try to mess up your hair," David said. "You have no idea how lucky you are."

"Luck had nothing to do with it," Faith said, smugly. "I'm a natural."

"Oh yeah. I believe you," David said with a sheepish grin. Of course, Faith knew he was lying, but before another argument could start up, she thought of something else.

"I've been thinking, David," Faith said, "don't you think you should get some training in?"

David raised an eyebrow. "Come again?"

"There are going to be people at the Peridot City Contest with lots more experience than the two of us," Faith explained, "and I know you still haven't decided on Contests or Gym Battles yet. If you ask me, I think Cyndaquil and Spearow could use a little conditioning."

"You seem pretty confident," David said, "worrying about my conditioning rather than yours."

"Like I said," Faith said, even more smug than before, "I'm a natural."

"All right." David stopped and spun around. "Let's see you do an appeal with Marina right now!"

"Huh?!"

"You heard me! Right here, right now! Let's go!"

"W-Wait! Wait a minute!" Faith stuttered, bouncing on her toes. "I don't even know what attacks Marina knows!"

"And I thought you were a natural."

Faith growled angrily, but before another argument could start up _again…_

"Hold it right there!"

The duo's attention was grabbed by a short kid in a white tank shirt, black shorts, sandals, and oddly enough, a straw hat who burst out of the bushes and pointed a bug-catching net at them, as though trying to be threatening.

"I'm Jamie and I'm the gatekeeper of Peridot City! No one gets in without a battle with me!"

This, of course, didn't work. David and Faith could only stare at Jamie's dramatics, while Marina merely giggled. Suddenly, the situation felt like an abrupt channel change from "Jerry Springer" to "Candid Camera."

"Uh…" David started, a little stupefied, "gatekeeper, you say?"

"Well…self-appointed gatekeeper," Jamie said, half-heartedly, "but still! Battle! Now!"

"Listen, little boy," Faith said as politely as possible, "this is really cute and all, but we're in a bit of a hurry so…"

"As a matter of fact," David interrupted, "I will battle you."

Faith's eyes shot wide open. "You will?"

"It's true what you said," David said, digging through his duffel bag, "I do need some conditioning. And what better way to do that than a battle? Am I right?"

"Well…yeah…" Faith said with a sweatdrop. "I did say that…"

"So kid, how many…"

"DON'T CALL ME KID!" Jamie yelled, swinging his net furiously. "I told you I'm a gatekeeper!"

"Okayyyy…" David felt a vein throb in the back of his head. "How many Pokémon do you have, _gatekeeper_?"

"Two!"

"Then we'll both use two Pokémon," David said, taking out a Poké ball. "Last one standing wins. Ready?"

"All right! Go, Wurmple!" Jamie tossed out his Poké ball and a red worm-like Pokémon with yellow spikes on its tail emerged from the white light. It looked up at David with its little black eyes.

"A bug-type, huh?" David held his Pokédex in his other hand.

"Wurmple – the Worm Pokémon. It spits a white silk that turns sticky when it contacts air. It is used to immobilize foes."

"What are you doing?!" Jamie yelled, waving around his net again. "Quit standing there and send out your Pokémon already!"

David could only smirk. _You'll be sorry!_ "Take it away, Cyndaquil!" David threw his Poké ball as well and Cyndaquil emerged onto the field, flaring up its back promptly. This caused Jamie to shake a bit.

"F-Fire types don't s-scare me!" Jamie shouted. "Let's show 'im, Wurmple! String Shot!"

Wurmple shot a silky material from its mouth, which turned into a sticky string, shooting straight towards Cyndaquil.

"Easily remedied," David said, pushing up his glasses. "Use Ember!"

Cyndaquil shot sparks from its mouth, burning up Wurmple's thread. Wurmple had to cut it from its mouth, but still got a minor burn on its mouth.

"That's not too bad, Wurmple," Jamie said. "Now, use Poison Sting!"

"Dodge it and use Ember again!"

Wurmple lifted up its tail and launched a barrage of poison needles, but Cyndaquil jumped to the side and shot another flurry of sparks at Wurmple's tail. An easy target, to be sure. Wurmple then proceeded to squeak helplessly and squirm all around the battlefield, trying to get its burning tail to go out, but all that running around wore it out quick, making it curl into a little ball and faint.

David blinked. "…That was fast."

"You just got lucky!" Jamie said, recalling his Wurmple. "It's 'do or die' time now! Go, Venonat!" Jamie sent out his next Pokémon: a shaggy purple Pokémon nearly three times Wurmple's size. It had clodhopper feet, long white antennae, and big red compound eyes.

"How lovely," David said, glumly. "Another poison-type."

"An ugly one, too," Faith said grimly, while taking out her Pokédex.

"Venonat – the Insect Pokémon. Its big eyes are actually tiny clusters of eyes. At night, its kind is drawn by light."

"This time, I'll win for sure," Jamie said, pumping his fist.

"Big deal," David said. "You haven't even hit my Cyndaquil once yet. I'll just burn this one up too."

"Not if I do this," Jamie said with a smirk. "Venonat, Disable!"

Venonat released blue rings from its eyes, and as soon as they made contact with Cyndaquil, the flames on its back went out. David, needless to say, was shocked.

"What happened?!"

"It's Disable!" Jamie shouted, hopping up and down happily. "When those rings connected, it shut off the move you just used! Sure, it's only for a short while, but that's all I'll need! Venonat, Tackle!"

Venonat charged forward and slammed into Cyndaquil, sending it tumbling back.

"Disable," David said, clenching his fist. "I forgot about that move. Then I'll just beat you without fire moves! You use Tackle too, Cyndaquil!"

Cyndaquil got back up and charged at Venonat…

"That's close enough," Jamie said. "Poison Powder!"

"Uh oh." David's eyes widened. "Cyndaquil, wait! Stop!"

Before Cyndaquil could slam on the brakes, Venonat shook its shaggy body, releasing a cloud of purple dust which seemed to envelop Cyndaquil. Cyndaquil immediately ran back and plopped down, looking a little blue in the face.

"Are you okay, Cyndaquil?" David said, kneeling down.

Cyndaquil responded by coughing up a little smoke.

"You don't have to fight any more," David said, returning Cyndaquil to its Poké ball. "As soon as we get to Peridot City, I'll take you to the Pokémon Center."

Faith looked at David in concern. _Poor Cyndaquil…I bet David must know how Cyndaquil is feeling._

Jamie, however, sweatdropped at David's actions. _Uh…what's eating him?_

"You're gonna pay for that one," David said, taking out another ball. "Keep it going, Spearow!" David tossed the ball and his Spearow emerged from the white light, spreading its little wings.

"No biggie," Jamie said. "We'll poison that one too. Venonat, Poison Powder!"

"Spearow, fly straight up!"

Spearow flapped its little wings as hard as it could to get away from the dust cloud Venonat shook from its body.

"Can't poison my Spearow if your little dust ball can't reach it," David said, sticking out his tongue.

"That's not fair!" Jamie yelled angrily. "Tell your Spearow to come down and fight fair!"

"With pleasure," David said with a smirk. "Spearow, dive down and use Peck!"

Spearow dove from the air at astonishing speed.

"That's it! Use Confusion, Venonat!" Jamie ordered.

Venonat fired off blasts of blue energy from its eyes, but couldn't hit Spearow since it was flying in a sort of zigzag pattern. The blasts ceased when Spearow nailed Venonat right in the chest.

"Follow up with Fury Attack!"

Spearow continued jabbing at Venonat with its beak, causing it to fall on its back. Amazingly, it was able to make those thick spirals even with those tiny eye clusters. Jamie called it back to its Poké ball with a sad look on his face. Faith and Marina looked past David, feeling concerned.

"Cheer up, gatekeeper," David said, holding his hand out. "You did put up a good fight."

Jamie smacked away David's hand and threw his net on the ground. "It's not fair! I would've won if my other Pokémon hadn't been stolen!"

"Stolen?" David blinked. "What are you talking about?"

A short explanation later…

"WHAT?!" David yelled. "Are you serious?!"

"I meant what I said!" Jamie yelled back. "Those guys in the black and purple uniforms challenged me to a battle and stole my Beautifly!"

"That's horrible!" Faith said, putting her hands to her mouth.

"That's outrageous!" David yelled. Even after Jamie repeated his explanation quite a few times, David still couldn't wrap his brain around it. "Who would do something like that?!"

"Now that you mention it," Faith chimed in, "I think I saw something about that on the ANN (Awani News Network) before I left for Amber Town. Apparently, there's a group of trainers who go around stealing Pokémon from other trainers once they beat them in battle. They're described wearing purple and black suits."

"Do either of you know their names?" David asked.

"The report didn't say," Faith said.

"They never told me," Jamie said.

David sighed heavily and folded his arms, trying to think of some ideas. It suddenly got eerily silent for a short while.

"This is all my fault," Jamie said, his voice shuddering.

"Huh?" David raised an eyebrow.

"I couldn't do anything to stop them. I've only been doing my 'gatekeeper' bit so I could train my Pokémon to be stronger, so I could go after those guys and get my Beautifly back. But even as we speak, my Beautifly could be getting further and further away. And who knows what those guys are doing with it?!" Jamie's eyes started to tear up. "Beautifly was the first Pokémon I've ever raised…and now…and now…"

David and Faith looked at each other as Jamie cried into his hands. Faith walked over and put a hand on Jamie's shoulder, causing him to look up at her.

"Why don't you come with us, Jamie?"

"Huh?"

"Huh?!" That, by the way, was David.

"I haven't known them for very long," Faith said, "but I consider my Pokémon to be like family to me and I know I'd be royally upset if someone went and took a member of my family away. (At that, David noticed her shudder again) Once we're finished up at the Peridot City Contest, we'll look for your Beautifly together and get it back for sure. I promise."

Jamie bit his lower lip before crying miserably into Faith's chest while she put her arms around him.

"There, there," Faith said, quietly. "It's going to be okay."

David put his hand to his chin as Faith comforted Jamie. _It happened again. Faith always shudders when she talks about family. I wonder…did something happen with her family?_

_

* * *

_

Seems like there's a new member of the Palladium crew, and yes, he is based on the generic "Bug Catcher" trainer class. Let's have a look at this boy.

Name: Jamie Holcomb  
Age: 10  
Sex: Male  
Hometown: Peridot City  
Appearance: White tank shirt, black shorts, oversized green shirt  
Bio: The self appointed "gatekeeper" of Peridot City, though not a very good one as he loses a lot for having only bug Pokémon. He drops his gatekeeper duties to travel with David and Faith in order to get back his stolen Beautifly. He is usually gung-ho over just about anything, especially bug-type Pokémon.  
Pokémon: Wurmple, Venonat

* * *

In the next chapter, the Palladium crew finally arrives in Peridot City. Faith finally picks up her package from the Pokémon Center (A/N: Bet you forgot about that!) and they even have a look at the Pokémon Contest Hall. Plus, the introduction of a new Contest Host! You have no idea how excited I am! Too bad it's not ready yet.


	11. Welcome to Peridot City!

Thanks for the...um..._not_ reviews on Chapter 10. Let's keep it moving.

* * *

Chapter 11 – Welcome to Peridot City!

4:30 pm. Peridot City.

David, Faith, and their new companion, Jamie the "gatekeeper" had finally arrived in Peridot City. Even from street level, David could tell the place was at least twice the size of Amber Town. Trees were dotted left and right and there were also a few patches of flowers here and there. Faith couldn't help but smile in awe of the place.

"This place is amazing!" Faith said happily.

"Eh, it's all right," Jamie said with a shrug. "I've lived here my whole life and nothing surprises me anymore."

"All right, first thing's first," David said. "I really need to get my Cyndaquil healed up at the Pokémon Center. And Faith needs to pick something up."

"Huh?" Faith blinked absentmindedly before a light bulb lit up in her brain. "Oh, right! The package! I forgot about that!"

"I'll show you the way," Jamie said. "I need to get my bugs healed up too."

A few minutes later, at the Pokémon Center…

"Welcome to our Pokémon Center!"

"Hiya, Nurse Joy!"

David and Faith were both stunned, to say the least, to see Jamie happily greeting…the nurse from Lazuli Town?!

"It's a pleasure to see you again, Jamie," Nurse Joy said.

"Uh…Nurse Joy?" David started, unsure of what to say. "Not that I'm happy to see you again or anything, but how did you get here from Lazuli Town so fast?"

Nurse Joy blinked. "Lazuli Town? Oh, I see you've met my sister!"

"Sister?!" David said. "Is this a joke?!"

"It's the truth!" Jamie said. "Every Pokémon Center is run by a Nurse Joy and they're all related!"

"Yup," Nurse Joy said with her "usual" heartwarming smile. "The Joy in Lazuli Town is my older sister."

"But personally," Jamie added in a whisper, "I think it's all a big cloning conspiracy organized by the government."

"That's ridiculous," Faith said. "There's no such thing as clones." (Elsewhere, Mewtwo sneezed.)

"So what can I do for you three?" Nurse Joy asked.

"We'd like our Pokémon healed up," David said, placing his Poké balls on the counter with Jamie's.

"And I think there's a package for me here, too," Faith added, placing her Poké balls on the counter as well.

"Oh, so you're Faith then?" Nurse Joy asked, to which Faith nodded. "I've been holding onto this for three days now. I didn't think the recipient would ever show up." Nurse Joy bent down behind her counter and took out a small rectangular package, which Faith took and opened promptly. Her eyes widened dramatically when she took out a flowy yellow dress with daisies embroidered near the hem.

"A dress?" David asked, confused.

"It's so beautiful!" Faith said, tearing up a bit. "I can't believe Mom bought this for me!"

"But why did she send it?" David asked.

"I know why," Jamie answered. "It's optional, but to make a better impression on the judges during contests, you can dress up all fancy-like."

"Mom used to wear a dress like this when she participated in the Contests," Faith said, hugging the dress as though it were her own child. "Look at these patterns! And all the measurements are just perfect!"

The group allowed Faith to cling to her dress for a little longer, until she noticed that Nurse Joy was gone. "Where'd Nurse Joy go?"

"I'm right here," Nurse Joy said, emerging from the back room. "Sorry for disappearing on you. But I'm happy to tell you that your Pokémon will recover in 30 minutes."

"Thirty minutes?" David asked. "It only took 15 the last time."

"Well, it takes longer for a larger group," Nurse Joy said.

"I guess that makes sense," David said with a nod. "So what do we do until then?"

"We never had lunch," Faith said, folding her dress back into the box.

"I got a better idea!" Jamie chimed in. "Let's take a look at the Contest Hall!"

Faith pressed a finger to her lips. "That _is_ a better idea. Let's go!" Faith immediately grabbed both boys' arms and dragged them out of the Pokémon Center. She didn't realize, however, that Nurse Joy was now in charge of watching her dress.

"Oooookay, then."

A few minutes later…

"Is this the place?" David asked.

"Yup, that's it," Jamie said. "Peridot City Contest Hall!"

The three kids stared up at the large building wide-eyed. The Contest Hall appeared to be about two stories tall. The white bricks holding the place together were bordered at the corners by a metal that seemed to be painted lime green. There was a silhouette of a Contest Ribbon painted on the double doors and a huge screen mounted above the entrance, presumably for people who preferred to watch outside or couldn't buy a ticket.

"This place is swanky," David said, checking out the building. "Not a speck of dirt on it."

"I've gotta see the inside!" Faith said, rushing through the double doors.

"Wait, hang on!" David said, following her while Jamie took up the rear.

Faith, of course, was the first to enter the main hall. The main stage was built like an ampitheater with rising stadium seats from the front to the back. The floor was painted with a Poké ball symbol and there was a big screen in the back of the main stage, presumably for the scoreboard. There were also maintenance people setting up spotlights and speakers.

"This is awesome," David said, looking around.

"Hey," Jamie said, pointing towards the stage. "Who's he?"

Everyone looked to the main stage to see a man with brown eyes and well tamed brown hair. The bangs on the left side of his head had a very slight curl. He wore a white buttondown shirt, red vest, tight black pants, and a leather bolo tie.

"I guess it's practice time," the man said, tossing out a Poké ball. "Gardevoir, come on!"

From the ball emerged the most humanoid Pokémon David and the others had laid eyes on, spinning gracefully. Gardevoir appeared to be wearing a white gown and sported green arms and shoulder length hair as well as piercing red eyes.

"That has to be the most beautiful Pokémon I've ever seen," Faith said as she took out her Pokédex.

"Gardevoir – the Embrace Pokémon. It will try to guard its trusted Trainer with its life. It has the ability to see the future."

"Start off with Double Team," the man said.

Gardevoir placed its hands on its heart and glowed white for an instant before splitting into seven Gardevoir copies, surrounding its trainer.

"Good. Now, Calm Mind."

The Gardevoir copies closed their eyes and glowed a glorious pink. The pink energy seemed to snake higher and higher.

"Incredible," Faith said, taking out her Poké Balls and opening them both. "You girls have gotta see this!"

Wildleaf and Marina both emerged from the white light. Their eyes widened as they watched Gardevoir's performance. David and Jamie also gazed in amazement with sparkly eyes.

"Follow up with Psychic!" the man said with a flick of his wrist.

Gardevoir's eyes glowed blue as the seven copies rose gracefully into the air along with its trainer. Marina, unable to contain herself, immediately bounced toward the stage with Wildleaf following to stop her.

"Hey, wait a minute!" Faith shouted, running after them. "We can't interrupt!"

"Faith, where are you going?!" David shouted as he and Jamie followed her.

Gardevoir and its trainer immediately stopped and floated back down as they watched Marina happily bouncing towards the stage with the others not too far behind.

"Marina," Faith said, scooping up the Polka Dot Pokémon, "don't go running off like that again!"

Marina only responded by blowing several glossy bubbles from her mouth. Gardevoir's trainer looked certainly amazed.

"That's quite a Bubble Attack," the man said with a smile. "I'm impressed."

"Oh!" Faith tried futilely to cover up her blush. "Um…yeah, I guess it is."

David and Jamie couldn't help but sweatdrop at Faith's blush.

_Typical girl,_ David thought. _Falls to pieces at the sight of a pretty face._

"But your Gardevoir," Jamie spoke up, "was _really_ impressive!"

"Thank you," the man said. "Gardevoir and I have been together since I was a kid. We've become like…brothers of sorts."

"Brothers, huh?" David said. "Wait. Gardevoir's a _dude_?!"

Gardevoir giggled while his trainer merely shrugged. "I know what you're thinking. Male or female, this is how all Gardevoir look. But you know, there's one surefire way to check…"

"I think I'll pass," David quickly interrupted.

"Fair enough," the man said. "By the way, my name is Damien. I'm the host of the Contests held in the Awani Region. By any chance, are you three coordinators?"

"I'm just getting started," Faith said happily.

"I…haven't decided yet," David said, scratching his head.

"Nah," Jamie said, folding his arms. "Contests are too complicated for me."

Damien laughed. "Well, in any case, you should probably head to the front desk and register. The Contest begins in two days."

"TWO DAYS?!"

Seconds later…

Yeah. They ran that fast.

The receptionist, a young woman with blue hair, was a little surprised to see David and Faith both hunched over and out of breath.

"I'd like to…huff…register for the Contest," Faith wheezed out.

"Yeah…whew…me too," David gasped.

"Um…certainly," the receptionist said. "I'll just need to see your Contest Passes first."

David and Faith stared at each other before they both replied, "We don't have one."

"Oh." The receptionist blinked. "Then this must be your first Contest. I can issue your Contest Passes right now. I'll just need to see some ID."

David and Faith searched themselves for a few seconds before taking their Pokédexes out of their bags.

"That'll work," the receptionist said, taking their Pokédexes and sliding them into a console. She then tapped away at her keyboard for a few seconds until the Pokédexes slid back out along with two plastic cards with David and Faith's respective pictures.

"And there you go," the receptionist said, cheerfully handing back their possessions. "The two of you are now registered to enter Contests in the Awani Region."

"Yes!" Faith cheered, placing her things back in her handbag.

"Cool." David took his time examining his Pass.

"Also," the receptionist added, "a ribbon case for each of you." She placed two small rectangular cases on the counter. They both had a ribbon silhouette printed on the front, but the one on the left was colored green while the right case was yellow. "You will each need to win five ribbons in order to qualify for the Awani Grand Festival. I wish you both the best of luck!"

"Thanks a lot," David and Faith said in unison, just as Jamie arrived at the front desk.

"Are you guys all set?" Jamie asked, folding his arms.

"Yup," Faith said, packing her ribbon case in her handbag. "Well, we have two days to get ready, so I'm gonna go out and practice."

"Yeah, I'll go with you," David said, following her outside.

"Let me know if I can help!" Jamie said, nearly running into the door.

Back outside, behind the Pokémon Center…

David and Faith had already called out their respective Pokémon and were taking turns doing appeals. Jamie, Wurmple, and Venonat, however, were watching from the sidelines.

"Ready?" David asked.

"All set, David!" Faith shouted.

"Go!"

"Go Wildleaf! Use Razor Leaf!"

Wildleaf swung her big leaf, sending a volley of sharp leaves flying straight forward.

"Hmm," Faith pondered, "not quite. Try tilting it down a bit."

Wildleaf swung her leaf around again before tilting it at a slight angle. This time, the sharp leaves seemed to roll around the ground, much like a Frisbee rolling on end. However, they slowed down rather quick and fell flat on the ground.

"That was pretty good," Jamie said with a nod.

"Needs a little more oomph, though," Faith said. "Wildleaf, we'll work on that later. It's your turn, Marina!"

Marina, however, didn't move.

"Marina?" Faith asked. "Is something wrong?"

"AZUUUUUU!!!" Marina started crying at an earsplitting volume, freaking out the entire block. David and the others all had to cover their ears while Faith quickly picked up and rocked her in her arms.

"What's the matter, Marina?" Faith asked, a little panicked. "I need you to quiet down and tell me what's wrong!"

Marina's crying gradually died down and was replaced by the sound of her stomach grumbling.

"Oh." Faith blinked. "So you're hungry then. We need to buy some Pokémon food for the road."

"Oh yeah…" David suddenly clutched his stomach. "We still haven't eaten anything since this morning."

"Let's head back to the Pokémon Center and get some grub," Jamie said.

"I know a better place we can go."

The group turned and saw Kimberly smiling.

* * *

"No such thing as clones." I'm awesome. And here's the next profile for our ever gracious host.

Name: Damien  
Age: 24  
Sex: Male  
Hometown: ???  
Appearance: Brown hair with long bangs, white shirt, black pants, red vest, bolo tie  
Bio: The ever gracious host of the Awani Region Contests. Whether or not he is related to Vivian, Lillian, or even Marian is unknown. He has a killer microphone voice and a fondness for Chamomile tea.  
Pokémon: Gardevoir, Lopunny

* * *

The Pokémon Conest does start in the next chapter, but Kimberly's taking the gang to a local diner for some proper eats first.

By the way, if anyone can think of any cool appeals, please give me some ideas because I'm stuck!


	12. Peridot City Contest: Let's Appeal!

Before I begin, I have a sad bit of news that you've probably heard already. I heard that last week Madeleine Blaustein, who was the original voice actress of Meowth on the Pokémon anime as well as Chatot in the second Mystery Dungeon special, passed away in her sleep. She was one of my favorite voice actresses and she will be sorely missed. I can vouch for that.

So right now, let's have a moment of silence for Maddie Blaustein.

-pause-

Thank you. You're all too kind.

* * *

Chapter 12 – Peridot City Contest: Let's Appeal!

Later…

Kimberly had taken the group to a diner about two blocks away from the Contest Hall. Faith and Kimberly were cringing as they watched the steam coming out of David's ears as he ate his spicy chicken. Jamie, however, was busy chugging down a glass of milk (Apparently, he'd already eaten earlier) while the girls both ordered a salad.

"How can you eat that stuff?" Faith asked, clearly freaked out.

"Adaptation, I guess," David said. "One time when I was seven, an older kid dared me to swallow half a Tamato Berry. I did it and I didn't even tear up or anything. I've been eating spicy stuff ever since, but there's nothing out there that compares to my Mom's 'killer curry!' Guess my stomach's heatproof. Either way, it was the easiest 500 PokéDollars I've ever made!"

"You are unbelievable," Faith said with a sweatdrop. "By the way, Kimberly, did you register for the Contest here?"

"Yup," Kimberly said with a nod. "I just registered a few minutes ago. I was about to head to the Pokémon Center when I heard your Azurill screaming. Funny, though," she added with a smirk, "I thought you were going to catch a Marill."

"I did," Faith said, glancing here and there, "but the instant Marina we looked into each other's eyes for the first time, we just seemed to click. Isn't that right, Marina?"

Marina didn't answer. She and all the other Pokémon were eating their food on the floor. Marina, however, didn't take a single bite and simply stared at her bowl.

"What's wrong, Marina?" Faith asked as she picked up the little Polka Dot. "Aren't you hungry?"

"Well, maybe she can't eat normal food," Jamie suggested. "I mean, she's still just a baby, right?"

"She is? I'll handle this then." Kimberly raised her hand. "Excuse me, waiter!"

"Yes, Miss?"

"Can I have a small cup of Oran Juice please?"

"Coming right up!"

"Are you always this nice to your competition, Kimberly?" David asked.

"We're competitors _tomorrow_, David," Kimberly said, putting her fingers together. "That doesn't mean we can't be friends tonight. Besides, it's not often that I get to eat with other people. I travel by myself, so usually it's just me and Lickitung."

A moment of silence passed as the waiter returned to hand Faith her Oran Juice, upon which, Marina hopped into her arms and drank down the whole thing.

"We're paying for our own food, aren't we?" David asked.

"Yup."

Two days later…

"Welcome to the Peridot City Pokémon Contest!"

The audience in the Contest Hall roared with excitement as Damien's voice blasted from the speakers. Jamie was sure to get seats way up front for him and his Pokémon. Wurmple, however, shared a seat with Venonat by sitting on top of its head.

"Remember to cheer real loud when David and Faith come out, okay?" Jamie said to his Pokémon, who nodded promptly.

"My name is Damien and I'll be your host for today," Damien said into his wireless microphone which, for some reason, he insisted on having on a stand. "For those of you who are joining us for the first time, I hope you guys have a lot of fun. We've got a whole lot of new faces in the Contest World who are itching to make a big impression. It should be interesting," he added with a flick of his bangs. "Don't you think?"

In that instant, every girl in the audience shrieked in delight. Backstage, however, David couldn't help but press his palm against his face. He didn't have anything formal to wear, so he decided to wear his jacket over his usual clothes.

_I didn't know I was gonna be on TV,_ David thought with a gloomy look on his face. _I hate being on camera._

"Well? How do we look?"

As soon as David turned around, he felt his face turning bright red. In her yellow dress, matching yellow shoes, and black stockings, Faith looked even cuter than usual. Kimberly, however, wore a violet sarong with silver accents as well as a matching torso wrap and violet heels.

"Aww, lookit him blushing," Faith said with a cute smile.

Kimberly couldn't help but snicker. "Davy looks like he's gonna asplode!"

"I am not gonna asplode, I mean, explode!" David nearly yelled frantically.

Back onstage…

"Before we begin," Damien continued, "let's say hello to our judges!"

The spotlight moved over to a table where three people sat: a middle aged man in a red suit, a short man with short brown hair and a navy blue suit, and, unmistakably, the same Nurse Joy from before.

"Our first judge is the director of the Pokémon Contest Committee, Mr. Contesta!"

"Great to be here, folks," the man in red said.

"Next up we have the president of the Pokémon Fan Club, Mr. Sukizo!"

"Peridot City," the man in navy blue said with a smile. "Simply remarkable!"

"And last, but not least, Peridot City's own lovely Nurse Joy!"

Nurse Joy blushed heavily at Damien's "lovely" comment. "Th-Thank you."

"And before we forget," Damien continued, "our coordinators are competing for the official Peridot Contest Ribbon!"

Damien raised his hand and the screen behind him lit up. On it was a 3D rendering of the Ribbon in question: a metallic oval painted gold on a lime green ribbon with white trim. It was this that caused the audience to go "Oooooh" and "Aaaaah."

"Yes, it is impressive," Damien said, "but we only have one of these, and as such, only one coordinator will be going home with it. Now I've rambled on long enough, so let's get this party started!"

Once again, the crowd cheered wildly.

"He certainly knows how to get the crowd going," Jamie said with a sweatdrop.

"Our first coordinator," Damien continued, "hails from Amethyst Town and thus far has already won her first ribbon. Introducing Kimberly Sharpe!"

Kimberly walked out on stage and took a deep breath as the crowd cheered her on.

"Well, how about that?" Faith said. "I didn't know she'd won a ribbon already."

"Time to play, Drifloon!" Kimberly tossed out her Poké ball and, with the usual white light, the little balloon Pokémon emerged with a burst of black hearts.

"What the…?" David started.

"A Ball Capsule?!" Faith shouted in shock. "I can't believe we forgot to get those! I've gotta get one for the next contest!"

"No kidding," David said. "Still, I've never seen a Drifloon before," he added, taking out his Pokédex.

"Drifloon – the Balloon Pokémon. It tugs on the hands of children to steal them away. However, it gets pulled around instead."

"Oh. That's pleasant," David said with a sweatdrop. He had to wonder if his mother personally added that entry just for the fun of it.

"Start off with Stockpile!" Kimberly ordered.

Drifloon started to suck in air, causing its rubbery body to grow bigger and bigger.

"Looks like Drifloon's starting to store up energy," Damien said. "But the big question is what will Drifloon do with it?"

"I'll show you," Kimberly said, taking hold of Drifloon's stringy arms. "Use Spit Up!"

Drifloon suddenly let loose a stream of energy from its mouth, pushing it back. And with Kimberly holding onto its arms, Drifloon's attack was making them both spin faster and faster.

"Will you look at that!" Damien said. "That Spit Up attack makes it look like those two are dancing. And what's more, it seems to be making an amazing spiral pattern too! Everyone in the higher seats must be getting quite an eyeful."

Jamie was a little upset with himself that he chose to sit up front.

Eventually, Kimberly and her Drifloon stopped spinning and the audience burst into cheers.

"That's awesome!" Faith said happily.

"I see," David said with his hand to his chin. He seemed to be studying Kimberly's appeal to get a good feel for the contest.

"Looks like she's finished," Damien said. "What do you think, judges?"

"The way she used those particular attacks showed just how cute _and_ powerful her Drifloon is," said Mr. Contesta.

"Indeed," Mr. Sukizo said. "Remarkable!"

"It's great and all," Nurse Joy said, "but I wouldn't recommend using an appeal that makes you dizzy."

"Hm?" Damien took a closer look at Kimberly. She hadn't moved an inch since she finished her appeal. Her smile was there, but her eyes were definitely swirling. "I see. Hopefully, she'll be all right. Let's have another big hand for Kimberly everyone!"

The audience both cheered and laughed at the same time as Kimberly staggered backstage. Everyone who was watching backstage couldn't help but sweatdrop.

"Well, at least she's having fun," Faith said sheepishly.

"Now, let's move on to our next contestant!" Damien said with a wave of his arms.

The appeals were varied, for sure. There was a Chimecho using Heal Bell, a Lombre dancing around with Water Sport, and a Mareep using Signal Beam, just to name a few. Eventually…

"Our next contestant hails from nearby Amber Town," Damien said. "Please welcome David Cedar!"

David walked out onstage with unsteady steps. He could feel the heat from the spotlights bearing down on him and the cheers from the audience seemed to echo in his mind.

_I have to remain calm,_ David thought to himself, hastily pushing up his glasses. _After studying the other coordinators, I think I know what to do._

Jamie stared up at the stage. _What's the matter? What is he doing?_

David wound up and tossed out his Poké Ball. "Take it away, Cyndaquil!"

Cyndaquil emerged from the ball and nearly stumbled over as it landed on stage.

"Use Smokescreen!"

Cyndaquil fired off a thick jet of smoke from its back, taking up a good portion of the stage, but also getting David completely engulfed in the attack as well.

"Cyndaquil!" David coughed out. "I think you overdid it!"

Cyndaquil turned around, but couldn't find its trainer. The audience couldn't help but laugh at this predicament.

"Well, well," Damien said. "It appears that things aren't going quite as planned. But just look at how thick that smoke is. You can barely see what's going on in there."

"We can't stop, Cyndaquil," David said. "Use Ember!"

Cyndaquil responded and shot a flurry of sparks from its mouth, but…

"OW! OW! OW! STOP! STOP!"

David emerged from the smoke, his clothes and glasses covered in soot from the Smokescreen attack. His jacket also got slightly burned from the Ember attack. He put his hand to his mouth as he nearly coughed his lungs up. The audience fell silent, except for Jamie who smacked himself in the face.

"Oh man," Jamie said. "What a mess."

"Uh…David, are you able to continue?" Damien asked.

"Screw that," David coughed. "I'm withdrawing."

"I understand," Damien said. "Well, you heard him, folks. David is withdrawing from the Contest."

Faith's eyes were as wide as dinner plates as she saw the whole thing backstage.

"Wow," Faith said, a little stupefied. "I hope no one we know saw that."

Back in Amber Town…

Professor Cedar and Caitlyn both had their eyes glued to the TV screen. They did, indeed, see that.

"What in the world was that?!" Caitlyn asked, hysterically.

Prof. Cedar placed a hand on her heart. "Oh David…"

Later…

David continued to watch the appeals from backstage (this time, a Wingull was doing a spinning variation with Wing Attack) with his chin resting on his knuckles. He shared a gloomy expression with his Cyndaquil, who sat next to him.

"Don't feel bad, Cyndaquil," David said. "Most of it was my fault anyway."

"What happened out there anyway?"

David slowly turned around to see a pouting Kimberly with her hands on her hips.

"You were completely out of sync with your Cyndaquil," Kimberly said. "What were you thinking?"

"That's just it," David said. "I couldn't think straight because I got flustered by those TV cameras."

Kimberly tilted her head. "Maybe Contests aren't quite your thing."

"I had a feeling they weren't." David turned around to watch the monitor again. However, he turned back when Kimberly put a hand on his shoulder.

"Faith told me about your friends back in Amber Town," Kimberly said. "The way you're traveling and training to become a better person, I admire that. But I have to tell you, if you can't handle being on camera at a small Pokémon Contest like this, how can you think you can handle being at the Awani League Finals?"

"Huh?"

"It's one of the biggest events in the world!" Kimberly practically yelled, waving her arms. "You think the media won't be all over that?!"

David looked down at the floor. "I…hadn't really thought of that."

Cyndaquil stared up at his trainer, who rubbed his head again.

"Don't you worry," David said. "I've been through worse. I'll worry about my camera thing once I get past the gym leaders first."

"Glad to hear it, David," Kimberly said with a smile.

"Our next contestant is the younger sister of one of our fan favorites, Samantha Treeborne," Damien announced on his mic. "This is bound to be interesting, so let's welcome Faith Treeborne!"

"Huh?!" Kimberly promptly shoved David out of the way to get a better view of the screen. "Faith is Sammy's sister?!"

"You know her sister?" David said, adjusting his glasses.

"Do I?!" Kimberly said fanatically. "Samantha's an idol among us girl coordinators! She mentioned having a kid sister, but she never told us her name."

Faith's legs shook a bit as the crowd's eyes and voices bore down on her. She couldn't help biting her lower lip. _It's just as I thought. They're only recognizing me for being Sammy's kid sister._

Jamie, Venonat, and Wurmple stared up at Faith in concern. _She looks nervous too. I hope she doesn't mess this up too._

Suddenly, Faith smiled as she tossed out a Poké Ball. _So what? I'll show them! _"Here goes! Wildleaf, Showtime!"

Wildleaf emerged from the white light in the ball, doing a somersault before landing on stage, flipping that big leaf out of her face.

"Use Sweet Scent!" Faith said.

Wildleaf swung her leaf around, giving off a pleasant aroma that seemed to put the entire audience at ease.

"Well, this is interesting," Damien said. "Rather than a visual presentation, Faith's Chikorita is giving our sense of smell a good time."

"I'm getting woozy just watching that," Kimberly said with her hand on her chest.

"It's certainly better than the smell of smoke," David said, accidentally making his Cyndaquil even more depressed. "No, wait! I didn't mean it like that!"

"Follow up with Synthesis!" Faith ordered, raising her hand.

As she swung the leaf around, Wildleaf began to glow with a sort of yellow light.

"Amazing!" Damien said. "Now there's an appeal that looks good and smells good. What's more, she seems to be using the stage's spotlights to fuel that Synthesis as opposed to actual sunlight! How clever!"

Once again, Wildleaf flipped her big leaf out of her face. "Chi-koriiii!"

"Finished!" Faith said happily, causing the audience to cheer with lots of excitement. Jamie was clapping so hard, his hands were turning red.

"She's a natural at this!" Kimberly said, hopping on her toes.

"Yeah, she's definitely better than me," David said.

"Well, judges?" Damien asked. "Let's hear it."

"It's not every day you use a stage prop for an appeal," Mr. Contesta said. "That's a sign of real ingenuity."

"Too true," Mr. Sukizo said. "Remarkable!"

"The smell of that Sweet Scent shows just how healthy Chikorita is," Nurse Joy said with a semi-spaced-out look on her face.

"And there you have it, folks!" Damien said. "Let's have another big hand for Faith and her Chikorita!"

The audience cheered once again as Wildleaf jumped into Faith's arms.

"You were amazing, Wildleaf!" Faith said with a smile.

"And as sorry as I am to say this," Damien spoke into his microphone, "this marks the last of our appeals for the first round. We'll take a short break while the judges decide who's going to Round Two! Don't go too far, folks!"

* * *

You have to wonder what kind of aroma that Sweet Scent is. So what do you guys think? David's obviously out, but will Faith make it to the next round? And even if she does, can she take home that ribbon?

R.I.P. Madeleine Blaustein. 1960-2008


	13. Peridot Contest: Round Two

Since I'm bored, I might as well post the next chapter to ring in the New Year. Happy 2009 everybody!

* * *

Chapter 13 – Peridot Contest: Round Two

Backstage, while the audience was stretching their legs and the judges were tallying up the scores, Faith kept staring at the monitor with Wildleaf in her arms, even though it was currently blank. Kimberly, however, was in the back of the room brushing her hair.

"Oh man," Faith said. "I've never felt so nervous in my life."

"Don't worry about it," David said, putting his hand on her shoulder. "I thought you did great. And if those cheers from the audience were any indication, they thought so too."

"I know," Faith said. "What happened with you anyway? I didn't expect your moves to just blow up like that."

"We…I mean, I just got flustered by the TV cameras," David said sheepishly, pushing up his glasses. "You don't need to worry, though. I had a feeling that Contests weren't my thing anyway. Although…"

Faith raised an eyebrow. "Although?"

David looked up at the screen, watching Damien walk back on stage. "I was kind of hoping to get to battle with you."

Faith was stunned. "You were??"

"Sorry to keep you waiting, folks," Damien's voice boomed on the microphone, grabbing everyone's attention. "The judges have made their decisions and these eight coordinators have earned their right to be in the second round!"

Once again, the screen behind Damien lit up and the coordinator's faces appeared one by one…

1. Mike

2. Elizabeth

3. Becky

4. Kimberly

5. Zack

6. Pete

7. Tabby

8. Faith

As the audience burst into excited cheers, Faith looked like she was going to cry out of pure joy. "I…I made it?"

"You made it!" David tried to hug Faith, but he missed and fell over when she ran over and glomped Kimberly instead.

"We made it! We made it!" Faith shouted happily.

"Yes, I see that!" Kimberly said, nearly suffocating in her grip.

David pushed himself off the ground in mild frustration. "Yeah. Don't worry about me, though."

"She did it! She did it! She did it!" Jamie chanted frantically, pumping his fists in the air while Venonat and Wurmple jumped in their seat.

"And now," Damien continued, "let's give these coordinators a random shuffle to determine the matchups for Round Two."

And as though on cue, the screen shuffled up the coordinators' faces.

Battle one pitted Faith against Tabby, who impressed the audience earlier with her Mareep. Battle two set up Mike against Kimberly. Battle three is Zack and Elizabeth and Battle four set up Pete and Becky.

"Looks like we might meet in the semi-finals," Faith said.

"And once we get there," Kimberly said, "we gotta make our battle good and flashy!"

"I hear ya," Faith said, pumping her fist.

"Well, I'm outta here," David said, walking off.

"Huh?" Faith blinked. "Where are you going?"

"I'm gonna sit in the audience with Jamie," David said. "Kick some butt out there, Faith!"

"Oh…I will!"

-X-XX-X-

"And here we go again!" Damien shouted into his microphone. "The Second Round is about to begin! Our coordinators will be trying to trip up their opponents while keeping their moves looking amazing! Now let's get to our first two coordinators!"

At that time, David took his seat at the front of the audience right next to Jamie, who stared at him with a weird look in his eyes.

"What?"

"What the heck was _that_ anyway?!" Jamie yelled frantically.

"Could you ask me again without spitting in my ear?" David said grumpily.

"And now," Damien continued, "on my left, it's Faith! And on my right, it's Tabby!"

Faith eyed up her opponent carefully. She recognized her as the coordinator who wowed the audience with her Mareep's Signal Beam. This girl seemed no older than eleven. She had neck-length blonde hair and wore a ruffled blue dress with matching glossy shoes. And for some reason, she was wearing kitty ears.

"You two know the drill," Damien said, "so let's have five minutes on the clock…and BEGIN!"

A five minute timer lit up on the screen and began ticking down.

"Marina, Showtime!" Faith tossed out her Poké ball and the little Azurill emerged, bouncing on her rubbery tail.

"Let's go, Meowth! Nya nyaaa!" Tabby threw out her Poké Ball with a flourish. The ball opened and a cream-colored housecat Pokémon emerged, surrounded by a spiral of pink flowers.

"A Meowth, huh?" David took out his Pokédex.

"Meowth – the Scratch Cat Pokémon. It is nocturnal in nature. If it spots something shiny, its eyes glitter brightly."

"I see," David said. "A real cat-and-mouse battle." (A/N: Sound familiar?)

"Marina, use Bubble!" Faith ordered.

Marina stood up on her tail and blew out a volley of bubbles from her mouth. The bubbles went flying Meowth's way.

"Let's destroy them with Fury Swipes, Meowth! Nya!" Tabby said with a swiping motion.

Meowth leapt up, extended its claws, and furiously slashed away at the bubbles, causing them to splash on its fur.

"Look at Meowth go!" Damien said. "The way those bubbles are splattering seems to be making Meowth's fur sparkle!"

"That's not good," Faith said as her points dropped little by little.

"Nya, use Bite!" Tabby ordered.

Meowth ran forward baring its fangs. Marina looked a little scared.

"Quick! Charm, Marina!"

The Scratch Cat stopped cold with its mouth wide open as Marina stared at it with big endearing "puppy dog eyes." Meowth felt a sweatdrop on the back of its head.

"Well, well," Damien said, "seems like that Charm Attack stopped Meowth from following through. And that's going to cost Tabby some points."

"Nya?!" Tabby felt her kitty ears slip a bit.

"Nice," David said.

"Now use Slam, Marina!" Faith ordered.

Marina spun around and smacked Meowth with her tail, sending Meowth tumbling on its back. Tabby looked infuriated as her points dropped even more.

"Come on, nya!" Tabby shouted as Meowth got back up. "Use Pay Day!"

The charm on Meowth's head flashed as it fired actual coins at Marina.

"Catch 'em with Bubble, Marina!"

Marina spat out the glossy bubbles from her mouth again. Unfortunately, Faith's plan didn't work. The coins shot right through the bubbles and Marina got herself harshly pelted, causing Faith's points to drop again.

"We're down to the one minute mark, folks," Damien said. "And it's anyone's battle at this point!"

"Come on, Marina," Faith pleaded. "We can't stop now. Jump and use Slam!"

"Pay Day, nyaaa!"

Marina bounced high in the air, just as Meowth launched another barrage of coins. However, Marina spun its tail around, causing the coins to deflect back at Meowth.

"Nail it!" Faith shouted.

Marina came down hard and mashed Meowth right in the face with her tail. Meowth fell on its back with thick spirals in its eyes.

"Nyaaaaaa?!" Tabby said tearfully.

"And that's it!" Damien shouted. "Meowth is unable to battle, so Faith and Azurill are going to the semi-finals!"

"Yay! We did won!" Faith said as the crowd cheered. "I'm so proud of you, Marina!"

Marina responded by hopping into Faith's arms.

"That was a close one," David said, before noticing that Jamie was missing. "Jamie??"

"This is real money!"

David and Faith's eyes widened horribly as they watched Jamie skittering around the stage, picking up all the coins that Meowth shot using Pay Day. Tabby and Meowth couldn't help but sweatdrop at the sight.

"Um…excuse me young man?" Damien said. "I'm afraid you can't come on stage if you're not a contestant."

"But…it's real money!" Jamie said, excitedly.

"Nya, but it's not worth much," Tabby said, grabbing Jamie's attention. "That handful you have right now would be just about enough for a pack of gum. Nya!"

"WHAT??"

The audience laughed at the mortified expression on Jamie's face while David pressed his palm in his face. "I don't know this boy…"

"Well, with that out of the way," Damien said with a sweatdrop, "it's time for the next round!"

Faith walked backstage and gave a high five to Kimberly as she headed out.

"Good battle," said Kimberly.

"Thanks," said Faith. "Good luck."

* * *

So let's have a vote. Should I do Kimberly's battle before the semifinals or just skip ahead?

Oh, and as far as that Tabby girl goes, I know I just made her up on the fly, but I really love this kid. I think I might make her more prominent in the story.


	14. Semifinals: Faith VS Kimberly!

Chapter 14 – Semifinals: Faith VS Kimberly!

BZZZZT!

"That's it!" Damien shouted. "We're out of time! And this match's winner is…Kimberly!"

"Yay! We did it!" Kimberly hugged her Lickitung. One couldn't tell whether or not it was blushing due to its skin being candy cane pink. Mike, however, miserably recalled his Numel and sauntered off-stage.

"I really didn't expect Kimberly to win too," David said with a sweatdrop.

"Yeah," Jamie agreed. "She was kinda…reckless."

Kimberly walked backstage and wiped her brow. "Whew…what a hassle."

"I think you might've gone a little overboard," Faith said.

"Hey, I never pull any punches in a Contest Battle," Kimberly said. "You might want to keep that in mind."

"Huh?"

"You're my next opponent," Kimberly said. "Weren't you paying attention?"

"Oh. Right." Faith lowered her head.

"Come on. Cheer up." Kimberly sat down next to Faith. "Let's watch the next battle."

Faith looked a Kimberly for a second and put a smile on as the two watched the ensuing battle between Zack's Sneasel and Elizabeth's Meditite.

Two Contest Battles later…

"Hold onto your seats, folks," Damien shouted into his mike. "It's time for the Semifinals! Starting us off now are Faith and Kimberly! And here they are!"

Faith and Kimberly both stepped out from different doors backstage. They both waved to the audience as they took their positions on opposite sides of the field.

"Here we go," David said, leaning forward in his seat.

"Let's have a good clean battle, ladies," Damien said. "Let's have five minutes on the clock…and begin!"

"Time to play, Lickitung!" Kimberly threw out her Poké ball and Lickitung emerged in a burst of red confetti.

"Marina, it's Showtime!" Faith tossed out her Poké ball and Marina came out of the white light, landing on her tail. She felt a little overwhelmed not because of the audience, but because of the jumbo-sized Lickitung in front of her.

"Use Bubble, Marina!"

Marina bounced back and shot out a barrage of glossy bubbles.

"Splatter them all with Lick!" Kimberly ordered.

Lickitung twisted its head around as it shot its tongue out, lashing and destroying all the bubbles like a whip.

"Now, use Wrap!"

Marina looked flustered as Lickitung's long tongue wrapped around her tiny body. She cried out in pain as Lickitung held her up.

"Oh no," Faith said, a little scared. "What do I do now?"

"This is not good, folks," Damien said. "With Azurill caught in that versatile tongue, Faith's points are dropping like flies!"

"She needs to adjust to the situation," David said.

"What do I do…I know!" Faith snapped her fingers. "Use Charm!"

Marina once again used the "puppy dog eyes," causing Lickitung to blush hard and loosen its grip.

"Jump and use Slam!"

Using Lickitung's tongue like a spring, Marina launched into the air and dropped down, swinging her tail.

"I don't think so," Kimberly said calmly. "Defense Curl!"

Lickitung wrapped its arms around itself, blocking the impact from Marina's tail.

"Well, how's that for resourceful?" Damien said. "By using Defense Curl to block that Slam attack, Kimberly's also reduced how many points she's lost. Good for her, not so good for Faith," Damien added as both point meters dropped just a little.

"Now, use Wrap again!" Kimberly ordered.

Lickitung's tongue once again wrapped around Marina's body.

"This again?" Faith said.

"Not exactly," Kimberly said. "Give it a toss!"

Lickitung twirled around and flung Marina straight into the air.

"Now, as soon as it hits the ground, use Stomp," Kimberly said.

Lickitung nodded and started running for Marina.

"I never thought I'd need to use this attack," Faith said.

"What attack?!" Kimberly said.

Marina was getting closer and closer to the ground and Lickitung jumped into the air, getting ready to stomp…

"Use your tail to Splash!"

Marina flipped over and landed on her tail, immediately bouncing backwards while Lickitung mashed its foot into the stage floor.

"Whoa!" Damien shouted while Marina continued bouncing. "There's something you don't see every day: an otherwise useless move in a very useful fashion!"

"Splash?" Kimberly blinked. "She saved herself with _Splash_??"

David and Jamie were both speechless.

"I never thought I'd see the day," David said, "where that lame Magikarp move would be a good idea."

"You said it," Jamie said.

"Don't stop, Lickitung!" Kimberly shouted. "Keep using Stomp!"

"Keep it up with Splash, Marina!"

While Lickitung kept mashing its feet into the floor, Marina continued happily bouncing around the stage.

"That's so cute!" Faith said happily. "Now, use Bubble again!"

"Defense Curl!"

Marina launched into the air again, spraying more glossy bubbles at Lickitung, who shielded itself with its arms as the bubbles popped against its pink skin.

"Kimberly seems to be getting flustered," Damien said. "Defense Curl is more ideal for protection against Normal attacks, and with all those Stomp attacks missing, the score seems to be evening up!"

"I don't think so," Kimberly said. "Use Wrap on Marina's tail!"

Marina had already hopped into the air when Lickitung's tongue snagged Marina's rubbery ball tail.

"Let's see you bounce away from this, Marina," Kimberly said. "Swing her into the floor!"

Lickitung swung Marina around like a flail and slammed her into the floor, causing her to tumble back towards her trainer.

"Please get up, Marina," Faith pleaded. "It's not too late!"

BZZZZT!

"Whoa!" Damien shouted. "I was enjoying that battle so much I lost track of time! And so, moving on to the finals will be…Kimberly!"

Even as the audience cheered, Kimberly and Faith both seemed nothing less than stunned. Kimberly had to squint a bit to see she was about five points ahead before turning and bowing to the audience. Faith, however, scooped up her battered Polka Dot Pokémon and proceeded offstage.

"Azuuu…?" Marina said weakly.

"It's okay, Marina," Faith said, putting on a small smile. "You did great out there. I'm very proud of you."

Marina happily snuggled up in Faith's arms. Because she was so young and so innocent, she couldn't tell that her trainer was trying her hardest not to cry.

"Well," Jamie said, putting his hands behind his head, "she did put up a good fight."

"I gotta go see her," David said, getting up from his seat.

"Hey, wait up!" Jamie followed him out of the crowd.

Backstage, Faith wasn't paying much attention to the screen as the second semi-final battle commenced. She seemed to be more concerned about counting the ceramic tiles on the floor. She slowly turned around after David tapped her on the shoulder. Jamie was right behind him, just in case Faith was a little _too_ upset.

"What do you two want?" Faith asked grumpily.

"We just wanted to know…if you're okay," David said sheepishly.

"And…we're sorry you lost," Jamie added.

Faith didn't even bother to turn around. "I just…need some time to think…"

"If you say so," Jamie said energetically. "Let's get outta here, David. I…huh?"

David, however, didn't move. He noticed Faith shuddering and sat down next to her, putting a hand on her shoulder. And before he knew it, Faith burst into tears and buried her face in David's shoulder.

"Why did I lose?" Faith sobbed out. "I know I didn't have much time to practice, but still…"

"It's not so bad! Nya!"

David and Faith both spun around to see a small blonde girl wearing an endearing cat-like smile. She also had a black shirt with a white heart printed on it, a thin pink jacket, blue bellbottoms, and a Meowth in her arms.

Faith could only blink in astonishment. "Tabby?"

"You look a lot different in regular clothes," Jamie said.

"I get that a lot," Tabby said, "but that's not important. I've been in contests before and I've lost a few times. But that doesn't matter. People win at stuff and people lose at stuff. That's pretty much how everything works. Look at me. I lost to _you_ and I'm not sad. Not one bit. I just need to prepare better for the next contest. I'm pretty sure you'll do better next time too."

Faith took a minute to consider Tabby's words. "…Hadn't thought of that."

"You will be at the next Contest, won't you?" Tabby asked.

Faith took a minute to consider Tabby's words. "Well…I…"

"Nyaoooooo?" Tabby stared straight into Faith's eyes with big pleading "doll eyes." That, however, was about all Faith could take before she let go of David and snared Tabby in a big bear hug!

"I can't take it!" Faith squealed. "You're just the cutest little thing! I just wanna hug you to pieces!"

Everyone backstage sweatdropped as Faith fangirled all over Tabby's cuteness.

"Can you tell me what that's about?" Jamie asked.

"I think Tabby just used Charm," David said.

Eventually, Faith calmed down and let Tabby go.

"Do you feel better now?" Tabby asked.

"Oh yeah," Faith said, putting a hand to her heart. "I feel a _lot_ better! I needed to do that so bad."

"Good," Tabby said, "because the battle's over. Nya!"

"WHAT?!"

Everyone turned to the screen just as Damien announced that Elizabeth's Meditite had just trounced Pete's Sandshrew.

"We missed the whole thing?" Faith said, tearfully.

"It's no big deal," Kimberly said, walking in. "I saw the whole thing and as far as Contest Battles go, it was pretty boring."

"Where've you been?" David asked.

"I needed to go get a snack to calm my nerves," Kimberly said. "But enough about that. I have to get ready for the finals. Wish me luck, you guys!"

"You got it!" Faith said as Kimberly headed out the backstage doors.

The final battle…

"We're down to the one minute mark, people," Damien said into his microphone. "So far Meditite and Lickitung seem evenly matched. And the points don't lie!"

"Meditite, use Force Palm!"

Meditite charged forward with its hand glowing with a sort of blue energy.

"Dodge it and use Lick!" Kimberly shouted.

Lickitung made a spinning sidestep to avoid the Force Palm while its long tongue licked the back of Meditite's head, causing it to fall flat on its face.

"Get up and use Hidden Power!"

Meditite struggled to get back up. It held its arms out to try and create its white orbs, but it suddenly fell on one knee.

"What's wrong, Meditite?!" Elizabeth shouted.

"Well this was unexpected!" Damien said. "Meditite seems to be paralyzed from that licking! This could be dangerous!"

"We've got 'im now!" Kimberly said with a smirk. "Jump and use Stomp!"

Lickitung leapt into the air and brought its foot down right on Meditite's back.

"That girl's amazing!" David said. "She must've trained real hard for Lickitung to last this long against a Fighting-type like Meditite."

"She's gonna win! I know it!" Jamie shouted before Tabby got the boy in a headlock.

"Don't jinx it!" Tabby yelled.

"Children, do I need to separate you two?" Faith said with a hint of frustration.

"I can't afford to lose any more points," Elizabeth said. "Get up and use Hidden Power!"

Meditite struggled to get up and held its hands out, forming white energy orbs from out of nowhere and shooting them straight towards Lickitung.

"Use Lick!"

Lickitung wound up and swung its long tongue sideways to deflect some of the Hidden Power orbs. The white orbs smashed against Meditite sending it tumbling back.

"No! Meditite!"

BZZZZT!

"And that's it!" Damien shouted into his mike. "Time's up! So the one to take home the Peridot City ribbon is…Kimberly and Lickitung! What an upset!"

The crowd seemed to agree as they practically roared in delight. Kimberly and Lickitung happily hugged each other. At this time, David took the opportunity to spin around and hug Faith and _not_ miss this time.

"What are you doing?" Faith asked.

"You owed me."

A little later, all the coordinators were back on the main stage (including David) with Kimberly standing alone in the center with Damien and the three judges.

"Here to accept the Peridot City ribbon," Damien said, this time holding the microphone in his hand, "is Kimberly Sharpe. You should be proud of yourself, little lady."

Kimberly blushed as Damien put the ribbon in her hand. "I-I'm honored, sir."

"We hope to see you again," Damien said. "And that, of course, goes for the rest of you: coordinators and fans alike! Let's meet again at the next Pokémon Contest! I know I'll be there."

David, Faith, Tabby, pretty much all of the coordinators clapped politely for Kimberly as Chapter 14 came to a close.

* * *

Yeah! Take that, fourth wall! You're not the boss of me!

If you guys think the gang is hitting the road again just like that. There's one more battle, plus an important phone call! But not in that order.


	15. An Important Call: David VS Faith!

Moving on...

Chapter 15 – An Important Call: David VS Faith?!

After a brief cooldown at the Pokémon Center, David, Faith, and Jamie met up with Kimberly in front of the Contest Hall.

"You're leaving already?" David asked.

"Yup," Kimberly said, hiking up her backpack. "I've got a lot of preparing to do for next time. By the way, Faith, how did you like your first contest?"

"It was amazing!" Faith said, putting her hands together. "I've never felt such a rush in my life! And you know what? Tabby's right. I _will_ do better in the next Contest! I'm not gonna stop 'til I reach the top!"

"You're gonna have to beat _me_ to get to the top first," Kimberly reminded, waggling a finger in her face. "I told you before I don't pull any punches."

"So what?" Faith said. "I'm gonna get stronger than you no matter what!"

"And I'm gonna help," David said, folding his arms.

"Yeah! Me too!" Jamie said, waving his net.

Kimberly was stunned for a second, but smiled again. "That's fine by me. I'll look forward to see how you develop as a coordinator, Faith."

"So are we gonna see you again or what?" Jamie asked.

"Yeah, we'll meet again," Kimberly said, tipping her baseball cap, "at one Contest or another." She then turned around and started to walk off.

"Well, since that's out of the way," David said, "let's get going. I wanna look for some more Pokémon."

"Oh! I completely forgot!" Faith said. "I've gotta call my sister!"

At that instant, Kimberly stopped moving. "What did you just say?"

Faith and the others turned to see Kimberly actually walking _backwards_ their way, as though someone pushed a rewind button in her brain.

"Uh…I just said I'd call my sister right now," Faith said sheepishly.

Kimberly quickly grabbed Faith by the shoulders and nearly yelled, "You gotta let me talk to her! Please??"

A minute later, back in the Pokémon Center…

Faith stared dully at the screen as she tried to reach the Malachite Gym. David was wincing a bit as Kimberly's nails actually started to dig into his shoulder.

"Why does she always take forever to answer the phone?" Faith said to herself before blowing a strand of hair out of her face.

After another few seconds, a voice spoke up.

"Hello? Malachite Gym. The Gym Leader's not here right now so…"

"Sammy, you don't need to do that _all_ the time," Faith said.

"Faith?! Hold on a sec!"

Another second, and the face of Faith's sister lit up on the screen. From that side of the screen, "Sammy" appeared to have long green hair, piercing blue eyes, and a cream-colored sweater.

"Well, don't you look great?" Sammy said with a smile. "And I see you made a few friends as well."

"Oh yeah." Faith stepped to the side. "This is David, Jamie, and…"

"I'm Kimberly!" Kimberly said, shoving Faith out of the way, "and I seriously have to tell you: I'm your biggest fan!"

"Oh, I know who you are," Sammy said with a sweatdrop. "I saw you battle my kid sister in the semi-finals."

"I told you not to call me a kid!" Faith said, getting back in front of the screen. She cleared her throat right after that.

"Of course not," Sammy said, running a hand through her hair. Her smile didn't let up for an instant. "How could I forget? After all, you're a very pretty young woman with a nice, shapely set of-"

Faith cleared her throat again, this time much louder than before.

"By the way," Sammy continued, "you know already, but Dad and I watched your Contest on TV. You should've seen how ecstatic he was when he found out you chose Chikorita for a starter. But…I'm sorry that you lost though."

"It's all right," Faith said. "I've gotten over it. But I have to tell you, performing in Contests is great! I've never felt so excited!"

"And I can vouch for that," Sammy said with a nod. "So are Chikorita and Azurill your only Pokémon?"

"For now, yeah," Faith said, "but I'll catch some more later."

"They're both really cute," Sammy said, "but I think you're putting a little too much emphasis on cuteness."

"You have your policy and I have mine," Faith said with a huff. "I have no need for ugly Pokémon like that Exeggutor of yours."

Kimberly looked like she was about ready to slap Faith in the face…

"Yes, well, my 'ugly' Exeggutor won me the Awani Grand Festival, didn't it?"

This rendered Faith speechless.

"I told you a hundred times before," Sammy said, "it doesn't matter whether a Pokémon is cute, ugly, or even scary. What matters most is whether or not you can make your Pokémon outshine the others. I actually heard someone won the Grand Festival in Kanto with a Muk once."

Faith blinked. "You're making that up."

"No. I'm not," Sammy said. "Look it up. I dare you. Hm?" She then looked over at David and her eyes widened dramatically. "Wait a minute. Now I recognize you! You're the kid with the Cyndaquil! I didn't recognize you without the jacket…or the soot…"

"Oh. S-So you saw that…" David was fighting the urge to put his palm to his face.

"I could tell you were playing it by ear," Sammy said. "That's something even I never tried to do."

"It's no big deal," David said sheepishly. "I had a feeling that Contests weren't my thing. Still, I just had to give it a shot."

"That's fine," Sammy said with a shrug. "Sooooo are you Faith's boyfriend?"

David started blushing like crazy. "Well…I…"

"No, _Samantha_," Faith said with a vein blossoming in her forehead. "I don't even know him enough for him to be my boyfriend."

"Well, that's no fun," Sammy said. "You really should put those suckers to work."

"Good bye, Sammy."

"No, wai-" CLICK!

After Faith hung up, she put her forehead on the screen, sighing heavily. The group went silent…except for Jamie, who couldn't help but snicker at David's face, which was now turning red enough to burst into flame.

"Your sister," Kimberly said, a little unsure, "is a _lot_ different than she acts during contests."

"Consider yourself honored," Faith said with her head still on the screen. "You're the first to see what a giant perv my sister really is."

-X-XX-X-

Back outside, David and the others said their goodbyes to Kimberly for a second time. David then took a brief look at the sky. The sun was starting to set.

"At this rate, it'll be dark before we can get back to Lazuli Town," David said.

"We can always stay at the Pokémon Center for one more night," Jamie said. "Besides, I'm getting kinda hungry."

David shrugged. "Eh, why not? I kinda like this place anyway."

As he and Jamie walked back to the Pokémon Center, David noticed that Faith hadn't moved from her spot. She seemed to be deep in thought about something.

"Faith?" David asked. "You okay over there?"

Faith's head jerked up. She then spun around and put her hands on her hips. "David, let's battle!"

"Huh?!" David was completely taken aback by the sudden change in her attitude.

"I need to get in a lot more practice for the next Contest," Faith said, suddenly getting in David's face, "and what better way than a battle? Besides, didn't you say yourself that you would've liked to battle with me? Hmm?"

David blinked as she got dangerously close, but backed up and pushed up his glasses. "Well, it's a little different than what I had in mind, but all right. If I'm gonna take on the gym in Topaz City, I need to get in more training anyway."

"All right!" Faith pumped her fist in the air as she walked away from the Pokémon Center. "Let's battle in the Central Square!"

"Sure," David said. "Hey Jamie, you mind refereeing for us?"

"Hey, no sweat!" Jamie said, following the two. "I've always wanted to do this!"

The two trainers stepped out to the middle of the street, both with their game faces on. Jamie, however, stood on the sidelines with his net to his mouth like a microphone.

"This will be a one on one battle with no time limit!" Jamie shouted.

David reached into his duffel bag while Faith reached into her purse…

"Introducing the competitors," Jamie continued, shattering the dramatic moment between David and Faith, "first, in the red corner to my left: all the way from Amber Town, the brains of the bunch with glasses to match, introducing Daaaaavid Cedar!!!"

David sweatdropped as Jamie's antics caused everyone around to stare in their direction. "What red corner?!"

"And in the blue corner," Jamie continued undaunted, "it's the little coordinator who could with some decidedly big-"

"You really wanna finish that?" Faith asked with a glare dark enough to make Jamie flinch.

"Uh…F-From Malachite City, please welcome Faith Treeborne."

"That's what I thought."

David shook his head. _Geez…_

"Now (Jamie raised his net) begin the battle!"

"Cyndaquil, take it away!"

"Wildleaf, Showtime!"

Both trainers tossed out their Poké balls and their respective Pokémon emerged. Wildleaf, as always, flipped her big leaf out of her face while Cyndaquil flared up the vents on its back.

"Uh…Faith?" David started. "Are you sure you want to send out Wildleaf?"

"Use Tackle!"

Wildleaf charged forward and slammed into Cyndaquil, sending it tumbling back.

"Hey!" David yelled, angrily pointing at Faith. "That's a cheap shot!"

"You're the one who wanted to keep yakking during a battle," Faith said, folding her arms. "Use Razor Leaf!"

Wildleaf spun her leaf around, sending a volley of leaves towards Cyndaquil.

"Hide with Smokescreen!"

Cyndaquil shot out a jet of smoke from its back, hiding its body and Wildleaf's as the Razor Leaf attack whizzed through harmlessly.

"Be careful, Wildleaf," Faith said. "Cyndaquil could be anywhere in that smoke."

Wildleaf kept herself focused…

"Use Tackle, Cyndaquil!"

Faith could hear the sound of a body blow in that smoke and watched Wildleaf get pushed out. "Oh no!"

"Follow up with Ember!"

The smoke cleared as a barrage of sparks pelted Wildleaf, leaving her burned and singed.

"This battle's mine!" David said.

"Not so fast," Faith said. "Use Synthesis!"

Wildleaf raised her big leaf to the air. Her body started glowing from the remaining light in the sunset and her wounds started healing.

"Forgot about that," David said.

"It's a whole new ball game, David," Faith said with a smirk. "Use Tackle!"

"Ember again!"

Cyndaquil once again fired a barrage of sparks as Wildleaf charged right at it. The attack seemed to be taking effect, even as Wildleaf slammed right into Cyndaquil.

"Use Tackle one more time!" both trainers said at once.

Cyndaquil and Wildleaf both bashed into each other again before backing off. Both of them looked exhausted and were breathing heavily. However, it was Wildleaf who dropped to the ground.

"Wildleaf! No!"

"And that's it!" Jamie shouted, continuing his announcer shtick. "This battle goes to the red corner: David and Cyndaquil!" To his surprise, the spectators (about 10-15 random people) applauded the two trainers.

Faith got on her knees and picked up the little Leaf Pokémon. "Wildleaf, are you all right? Say something!"

Chikorita opened her eyes and squeaked weakly.

"I'm impressed, Faith," David said with his Cyndaquil in his arms. "I didn't think Wildleaf could stay in the fight that long. She's really resilient. You should be proud."

"Quil," Cyndaquil squeaked in agreement.

Faith stared up at David before getting to her feet. She held Wildleaf close to her, as though she were her own child. "I am, David. I really am. Do you think…we could battle again sometime?"

David pushed up his glasses and held out his hand. "It goes without saying. We'll need all the practice we can get."

The people watching clapped politely as the two trainers shook hands. Among them, even Jamie didn't notice a tall lanky man with pale blond hair covering his right eye and a V-shaped guitar strapped to his back.

_Now that's what I call potential,_ the man thought.

* * *

No, that's not the same blonde guy from Chapter 8, but this guy will be important as well. Also, I don't really think Exeggutor's ugly. That's just Faith's opinion. By the way, I didn't realize it until now, but the Lapis Cave I mentioned in Chapter 5 is an actual location from Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Red and Blue Rescue Team. Think I should change it?

And let's not forget...

* * *

Name: Samantha "Sammy" Treeborne

Age: 17

Sex: Female

Hometown: Malachite City

Appearance: Long green hair, piercing blue eyes, cream colored sweater, blue cargo pants

Bio: Faith's older sister, she is experienced in several contests and came very close to winning the Kanto and Johto Contests at one point. She has a spunky personality and constantly gets her kicks from her sister's breasts, which are indeed larger than hers.

Pokémon: Exeggutor, Furret

Now, in the next chapter, the Palladium crew is on their way back to Lazuli Town, but to get there, they'll have to get past a couple "shady guys" first. Oh, and remember that Hoppip? You know, from Chapter 2?

...

Actually...nevermind.


	16. Same Trouble, Different Double

Chapter 16 – Same Trouble, Different Double

"Hurry up and use Bite!"

In case you're wondering, by this point David and the others have already left Peridot City by this point. They had barely crossed the bridge before a kid in short shorts challenged David to a battle. David had sent out his Cyndaquil to take on the trainer's Poochyena, a small Pokémon that looked like a grayish wolf pup.

"Use Ember, Cyndaquil!"

Cyndaquil's back flared up as it shot out a flurry of sparks from its mouth. Unfortunately, Poochyena couldn't dodge in time and took the attack full force before falling to its side, unable to move.

"And that's it!" Faith called out. "David's won this match!"

"All right!" David bent down to pick up his Cyndaquil. "You're getting better all the time, little guy."

Cyndaquil squeaked happily and hugged his trainer back. However, in his enthusiasm, he accidentally flared up his back and burnt David's hands. Once again, calamity ensued.

--XX--XXXX--XX--

"This is awesome!" David said, pumping his bandaged fist in the air for the third time. "At the rate I'm going, I should be able to mow down the Topaz Gym Leader, no sweat!"

"Don't get too ahead of yourself, David," Faith said. "I can pretty much guarantee you that Gym Leaders are more than a couple notches above those rookies you've been facing so far."

"Ahem!"

"Oh. S-Sorry, Jamie," Faith said to erase Jamie's sudden scowl, "but I'm trying to make a point here. I've seen my Dad battle tons of times, and he really knows how to put his opponents through the wringer. And I don't know for sure, but I definitely think you'll need more than just Cyndaquil and Spearow just to get through Topaz…Gym…?"

"From what I heard," Jamie chimed in, "the Topaz Gym Leader uses Ground-type Pokémon and…"

Whatever Jamie was going to say was cut off when David and Faith suddenly stopped cold and he bumped right into them.

"Guys?" Jamie walked around and saw a couple stunned expressions on their faces. He then looked ahead and put on a similar expression.

There was a Hoppip lying on its side, right at the edge of Lazuli Town. It looked seriously battered and bruised and its breathing was ragged and heavy.

"What's with that Hoppip?" Jamie asked before David immediately ran ahead to look at it.

"David, wait!" Faith called out. "What are you doing?!"

"Hoppip, wake up!" David said. "Please be okay!"

Faith and Jamie caught up with David to have a look at Hoppip, which managed to speak its name softly. David immediately felt relieved that it wasn't dead. Faith, however, looked a little puzzled when she looked at Hoppip's back.

"Um…David?" Faith asked. "What's that?"

"Huh?" David gingerly turned Hoppip over, trying not to hurt it any further. His eyes suddenly shot wide open. On Hoppip's back appeared to be…

"Looks like a heel," David said grimly. "Someone stomped on this little guy."

"WHAT?!" Jamie dropped his net.

"Who would do something like that?!" Faith shouted angrily. "Especially to such a cutie?!"

"That would be us."

From seemingly out of nowhere, the trio found themselves blocked off by a pair of shady looking men with smooth black hair, both wearing the same outfits: purple long-sleeved shirts with black stripes on the sleeves, matching shoes, black pants, and the shirts had an obscure "N" logo right in the center (A/N: Let's call these two Shady Guy A and Shady Guy B for now). And suddenly, Jamie started freaking out.

"It's them!" Jamie shouted, pointing at the men. "Those are the guys who stole my Beautifly!"

"Huh?" Shady Guy A blinked, before staring good and hard at Jamie. "Oh yeah, I remember you. Yeah. I did steal your Beautifly, but we don't have it with us."

"We gave it to our 'superior'," Shady Guy B said. "We don't know where he is right now, though."

Jamie's eyes widened horribly. _Beautifly…_

"Aww, wut wong?" Shady Guy A said, putting his hand on Jamie's straw hat. "Baby wanna cry now?"

Jamie was about ready to scream before David stepped forward. He had a rather stony expression on his face.

"What do you want, foureyes?" Shady Guy A growled.

"David, don't do anything stupid," Faith said, a little nervous.

David didn't say anything. He merely held up the injured Hoppip to Shady Guy A's face.

"Apologize."

"…Huh?"

"You're the guy who beat the snot out of this Hoppip, aren't you?"

"SO WHAT?!" Shady Guy A yelled. "We can't help it if some weakling Pokémon get in our way."

"Weakling?!"

"You heard me," Shady Guy A said. "We're Pokémon Hunters and we're gonna round up the strongest Pokémon in the world, by any means necessary! That's what it means to be part of Team Nova! NO ONE CAN STOP US!"

David, Faith, and Jamie stared at Shady Guy A as though he were mental while Shady Guy B slapped himself in the face while muttering something about their "secret identity."

"So what do you say you three?" Shady Guy A asked. "Just hand us your Pokémon right now and we'll save you a world of hurt. Although…" His gaze moved over to Faith, who flinched under his stare. "…we could just let you off unscathed in exchange for a little touchy touchy with your girlfriend."

"Huh?!" Faith flinched again as Shady Guy A got closer to her, flexing his fingers like a dirty old man.

"Just a little fondling," Shady Guy A said, practically drooling. "Just a little soft skin on my hand…"

Before anyone else could react, Faith quickly mashed her leg into Shady Guy A's nuts ("PERVERT!"). The following high-pitched scream caused David, Jamie, and even the cool-headed Shady Guy B to cringe.

After a few seconds, Shady Guy A pushed himself off the ground, grunting in sheer frustration and holding onto his "where it counts."

"You little wretch…" Shady Guy A said, taking out a Poké ball. "You just made this a lot harder…not only on yourself, but on all three of you!"

Shady Guy A opened up the Poké ball, revealing a bulky yellow Pokémon about as big as Venonat. The "knot" on its head made it look like a punching bag.

"I suppose I'll have to get involved in cleaning up _your_ mess as usual," Shady Guy B said, also opening a Poké ball as well. From that one emerged a smaller brown Pokémon with a skull-like helmet and a bone in its hand.

"A Makuhita and a Cubone?" David said, prompting Faith to take out her Pokédex.

_Makuhita – the Guts Pokémon. It toughens its body by slamming into thick trees. Many snapped trees can be found near its nest._

_Cubone – the Lonely Pokémon. When it thinks of its dead mother, it cries. Its crying makes the skull it wears rattle hollowly._

"Well, that's just cute," Shady Guy A said, finally standing straight up (more or less). "You got your little lessons for today. Now you know what you're up against!"

Makuhita stomped on the ground like a sumo wrestler while Cubone slapped his bone club in his hand like some kind of mobster.

"You want a battle, huh?!" Faith said, reaching for her handbag, but was immediately handed the injured Hoppip instead.

"Hold onto the little guy for a bit," David said, taking a Poké ball from his duffel bag. "We'll battle these guys."

"Yeah," Jamie said, jabbing his net into the ground. "I owe these morons for taking my Beautifly!"

"Take it away, Spearow!"

"Go, Wurmple!"

Spearow and Wurmple both materialized on the field. They both sweatdropped, however, at the sight of the scary looking Makuhita and Cubone before them.

"That's all you got?!" Shady Guy A yelled hysterically. "I've gotten heartburn from stronger things than those!"

"Focus, guys," David said. "This one's personal! Now use Peck, Spearow!"

"Wurmple, use Tackle!" Jamie ordered.

"Makuhita, use Fake Out!"

"Cubone, Bone Club!"

Spearow took to the air, but Makuhita was first to charge forward and slap both sides of Spearow's head with its hands, causing Spearow to drop back to the ground. Wurmple, however, could barely get going before getting pegged right on top of the head by Cubone's club.

"Hey Spearow," David said, "are you all right?"

Spearow tried to get up, before flinching in pain.

"Far from it," Shady Guy A said. "Fake Out always attacks first and causes a Pokémon to flinch! Now Arm Thrust!"

Makuhita immediately cut loose with a flurry of open-handed hits, mashing Spearow into the ground. It stopped abruptly when its arm was snagged by a thread connected to Wurmple's mouth.

"Hurry it up, David," Jamie said.

"I got ya," David said. "Spearow, use Peck on Makuhita!"

Spearow immediately got up and nailed its beak right into Makuhita's belly, causing it to stumble back a bit.

"Nice one!" David said, pumping his fist. "Now do it again!"

Spearow hopped back to nail Makuhita with more force, but before it could get going, Makuhita swung Wurmple around by the thread, causing it to slam into Spearow.

"Right were I want 'em!" Shady Guy A said, pointing his thumb down. "Use Body Slam!"

Spearow and Wurmple could only look on as Makuhita leapt into the air and stretched its arms out, as though preparing to do a swan dive.

"Get your Pokémon out of there now!" Faith shouted, not noticing Hoppip opening its eyes.

"We're not done yet," David said. "Spearow, lift Wurmple out of the way!"

Spearow picked up Wurmple with its talons and carried it away before Makuhita slammed into the ground, making a moderate-sized crater.

"Thanks for the help," Jamie said.

"What the hell was that?!" Shady Guy A yelled.

"It's called teamwork," David said. "Now, let's put our team to work! Spearow, use Peck!"

"Poison Sting, Wurmple!"

As Makuhita struggled to get out of the hole, it was suddenly bombarded by poison needles launched from Wurmple's tail. It was then pushed back down when Spearow pegged it right in the back. After that, Makuhita stopped moving.

"Crap! Makuhita!"

"Yeah, we got him!" Jamie shouted.

"Use Headbutt."

No one saw it coming. Everyone was so occupied with Makuhita, they completely forgot about Cubone, who had just charged in bashed its skull helmet into Spearow, sending it tumbling back to its trainer. It fell motionless after that.

"Spearow!"

"You two are pathetic," Shady Guy B said before turning to his partner. "And you're even worse."

"No one asked you, dude," Shady Guy A said, recalling his Makuhita. "Why didn't you help?!"

"It doesn't matter anyway," Shady Guy B said suddenly donning a wicked grin. "Now that that Spearow is out of the way, Wurmple will be easy pickings. Now Cubone, use Bone Club! Squash that bug once and for all!"

Wurmple shook a bit as Cubone tightly gripped its club and slowly walked back.

"You can't get scared, Wurmple!" Jamie shouted. "Use String Shot and aim for the eyes!"

Wurmple raised its head and shot a long, sticky thread from its mouth which wrapped around Cubone's face. Cubone promptly dropped the club to rip the sticky stuff from its face.

"What are you doing?!" Shady Guy B yelled, losing his cool demeanor. "Pick that back up!"

"Now, Wurmple," Jamie ordered, "use Tackle!"

Wurmple squirmed forward as fast as it could and slammed right into Cubone's chest, sending it tumbling back. But it didn't stop there. Wurmple then took a bite into Cubone's leg, causing it to howl in pain, rattling its skull helmet before going unconscious.

"I lost too?!" Shady Guy B said.

"Was…that a new move?" Faith asked.

"Unless I'm mistaken," David said, "I think Wurmple just learned Bug Bite."

"Sweet!" Jamie shouted. "We got a new move!"

"So what?!" Shady Guy A yelled. "You just won by a fluke!"

Jamie smiled at Shady Guy A. "Wurmple, use Bug Bite again."

Wurmple, immediately getting the message, quickly squirmed over to Shady Guy A and chomped onto his ankle. "YEOWCH!"

"You give up yet," Jamie asked, "or are you thirsty for more?"

"Screw this! I'm outta here!" Shady Guy A ran away like a madman while Shady Guy B calmly recalled his Cubone.

"Don't think this is over," Shady Guy B said, walking off. "You made a grave mistake in making an enemy of Team Nova."

"You did it!" Faith shouted happily.

"Yeah, we're awesome," David said, giving Jamie a low five.

"No, _Wurmple's_ awesome!" Jamie said, getting down to hug the Worm Pokémon. "I didn't know you could use Bug Bite!"

Wurmple simply responded by glowing bright white. Everyone watched in awe as Wurmple's body started to grow bigger and rounder. When the light died down, Jamie was no longer holding his Wurmple, but instead a ball of silk nearly twice Wurmple's size. It had red eyes and a slight purplish tinge.

"Whoa…" Jamie said. "It's…evolved!"

"Is that a Silcoon?" Faith asked.

"Not quite," David said, taking out his Pokédex.

_Cascoon – the Cocoon __Pokémon. It never forgets any attack it endured while in the cocoon. After evolution, it seeks payback._

"This is awesome!" Jamie hugged his new Cascoon even tighter now. "You're a Cascoon now!"

Cascoon smiled under its silky shell.

"By the way, Faith," David said, "how's Hoppip doing?"

"Huh?" Faith looked down at Hoppip, who had closed its eyes again. "I know it was awake a second ago." She put her hand on its forehead and gasped. "This is bad! It's got a real high fever!"

* * *

Update: Jamie Holcomb's party  
- Venonat  
- Cascoon

* * *

Now before I get to my preview, I feel like I should clear a few things up. First of all, I know Makuhita can't learn Body Slam by level-up, but it can learn the move from a tutor in the FireRed/LeafGreen games. Trust me. I checked. Second, the title is actually a reference to Team Rocket's old motto. You know, "Prepare for trouble, make it double" and all that jazz? Anyway...

In the next chapter, we'll learn what exactly will happen to poor Hoppip. New orders are issued to Shady Guys A and B, plus the location of the next Pokémon Contest is revealed!

Damien: It should be interesting. Don't you think?


	17. Hop to It!

Chapter 17 – Hop to It!

"Welcome to our Pokémon Center. How can I…what in the world?!"

Nurse Joy's usual prepared introduction was cut short when she saw the wounded Hoppip in David's arms. All three of them were out of breath.

"Nurse Joy…" David huffed out, "…you gotta help…"

"No need to explain any further," Nurse Joy said, taking the Hoppip from David's hands. "I'll examine this little one right away. Please excuse me."

David still looked upset, even as the nurse took Hoppip to the back room. He snapped out of his funk when Faith put her hand on his shoulder.

"Hoppip will be all right," Faith said. "I know it."

"Of course it will," Jamie said. "Nurse Joy wouldn't have been put in charge of an entire Pokemon Center if she didn't know what she was doing."

"I just can't believe that whackbag from Team Nova or whatever stomped on the little guy," David said, clenching his fist. "A Pokémon's a Pokémon. What does it matter how weak it is?!"

Faith looked a little concerned. "David…"

"Thank you for waiting," Nurse Joy said as she came back out.

"So…how's Hoppip doing?" David asked.

Nurse Joy smiled and said, "Would you like to see it?"

--XX--

David and the others were led through the back by Nurse Joy. Through the windows, they could see various Pokémon on stretchers being examined or treated by several pink, egg-shaped Pokémon with egg pouches on their bellies.

"What are those Pokémon?" Faith took out her Pokédex.

_Chansey – the Egg Pokémon. A kindly Pokémon that lays highly nutritious eggs and shares them with injured Pokémon or people._

"Right over here," Nurse Joy said as she opened a door. One of the Chansey was holding its egg out to the sleeping Hoppip. The egg seemed to be glowing with a curative light.

"Right now," Nurse Joy explained, "Chansey is using Softboiled to heal Hoppip's injuries. Since its body is so small, it's showing remarkable progress already. After that, it just needs to rest."

David sighed. "That's a relief."

Faith was trying hard not to press her face against the glass. "I know it's injured, but it's so cute while it's asleep!" She then scanned Hoppip with her Pokédex.

_Hoppip – the Cottonweed Pokémon. It drifts on winds. It is said that when Hoppip gather in fields and mountains, spring is on the way._

"Hey, it's waking up!" Jamie said.

"That was fast," David said.

"You're welcome to go inside if you like," Nurse Joy said. However, David was already inside and right next to Hoppip before she could finish talking. Faith and Jamie followed him inside as Hoppip slowly opened its eyes and stared up at David.

"H-Hoppip?"

"Hey little guy," David said. "Glad you're okay."

"Hoppip hoppip!" Hoppip's eyes widened and it immediately jumped into David's arms and nuzzled up to his chest.

"Well, someone's happy to see you," Faith said smiling.

David and Hoppip stared at each other for a while. However, it didn't take long for realization to dawn on David's face. "Wait a minute…I know you!"

Flashback to Chapter Two…

As the branch snapped, Hoppip fell out due to an unintentional push from David's fingers.

"I gotcha!"

Out of sheer instinct, David stretched out his arm and grabbed Hoppip, falling back first to the ground while holding it close to him.

_I did it…I finally did it…_

WHAM!

And now…

"It's you," David said. "You're the same one, right?"

"No way!" Faith shouted hysterically. "Really?!"

"I don't get it," Jamie said, scratching the back of his head. "Do you know this Hoppip?"

"Let's just say," David said with a smile, "that I probably wouldn't have even become a trainer if it weren't for this little guy."

"Sweet!" Jamie said.

Just then, one of the Chansey tapped David's shoulder, asking in her own unique lingo to let her finish her work.

"All right, Hoppip," David said, placing Hoppip back down on the stretcher. "I'll let you rest now."

"Hop…" Hoppip smiled again as it went back to sleep.

"In the meantime," Nurse Joy said, "why don't you leave your other Pokémon to me as well?"

"All right," all three said.

--XX--

Back in the lobby, David and the others decided to unwind from all the action earlier by watching TV at one of the circular tables. On the screen was a show called _Bravo Trainer_, which is an independent show where reporter Gabby interviews trainers who beat her and her cameraman Ty in battle. However, no one was paying much attention. Even the television couldn't distract them from their thoughts on the two shady guys from Team Nova.

"Team Nova," Faith said, staring up at the ceiling. "Just what are they up to anyway?"

"Let's review what we know," David said, pushing up his glasses. "They're definitely evil. They only want the strongest and rarest Pokémon available. They're quite willing to harm weak Pokémon if they stand against them. And the two morons we beat are…well…they're downright insane."

"When they took my Beautifly," Jamie said, "they decided to use two Pokémon against me about halfway through the battle. Then they threw me in the river while they took my Beautifly's Poké ball."

Faith couldn't help but notice Jamie's sudden shudder. "Um…Jamie?"

"OF COURSE I CAN SWIM!" Jamie yelled, waving his net angrily. "GET OUTTA MY FACE!"

"Can we focus, please?" David said with a vein popping in his forehead. "People are staring at us."

"Hey," Faith spoke up, "what about that pink one?"

"Huh?" David blinked.

"You know," Faith continued, "that pink glowy Pokémon we saw back on Route 501? That's gotta be a rare Pokémon!"

"It's a possibility," David said, getting to his feet. "I need to talk to my mom about it anyway. Maybe she found something out about it."

"Wait up!" Jamie followed David over to the phone. Faith also began to follow…

"Good morning, Contest fans!"

…but she stopped and turned around when she heard that gentle, yet booming voice of Damien the Contest MC on the TV. And sure enough, there he was.

"I hope you're practicing hard," Damien said, "because we've decided on the location of the next Pokémon Contest. It's in quaint Sodalite Town! Don't be late or you'll miss out on all the fun!"

"Sodalite Town isn't too far from Topaz City…" Faith continued to stare at the screen even as it changed to a commercial for perfume. She then clenched her fists. "I won't miss out, Damien. But I'll be a lot stronger by then."

"Who are you talking to?"

Faith spun around again to see Jamie staring at her. David was still trying to get a signal out to the lab.

"N-No one." Faith laughed sheepishly as she walked back over to the others.

"That's a letdown," David said, hanging up the phone. "The line's busy."

"Were you waiting long?"

Everyone turned to see Nurse Joy walking their way with Hoppip in her arms. It looked much healthier and definitely much happier.

"Not really," David said, before looking down at Hoppip. "And how are you feeling?"

Hoppip responded by squeaking happily and jumping into David's arms. "Well well, aren't we cheery!"

"Aww, Hoppip really likes you David," Faith said with a smile.

"If you ask me," Nurse Joy said, "I'd say Hoppip wants to go with you."

"Huh?" David was stunned, but not stunned enough to stop him from looking at Hoppip again. "You really want to?"

Hoppip smiled and squeaked once for a yes.

"Well, in that case…" David reached into his bag and took out a Poké ball, tapping it once on Hoppip to suck it inside. It didn't take long for the locking mechanism to "click" into place. "…welcome to the team, Hoppip!"

"Congratulations, David," Faith said happily, "even though I'm a little jealous."

"It does look kinda girly," Jamie said.

"Didn't you hear what I said before?" David said. "A Pokémon's a Pokémon."

"I do hope you'll take good care of her," Nurse Joy said.

"Her?" David's glasses slipped. "Hoppip's a girl?"

"You really need to get on the ball with this gender thing," Faith said.

"Now that that's settled," Nurse Joy said, "why don't you three come over to the counter and I'll give you your Pokémon back."

Elsewhere…

"WHADDYA MEAN YOU GOT OWNED?!"

Nova Guy A cringed as his spiky blonde-haired superior yelled at him from behind his Tetris game. Nova Guy B, however, remained perfectly calm.

"Why'd you tell him the truth?!" Nova Guy A hissed.

"He'd find out no matter how much we lied," Nova Guy B said.

"Eh, whatever," the superior said, getting back to his game. "I didn't expect you n00bs to win forever anyway."

"What's that mean?!" Nova Guy A yelled.

"But before then, did you manage to get any new Pokémon?"

"Uh…yeah…we…uh…"

"Not one," B said.

"Shut up!"

"YOU LAMERS!" The superior stood straight up and angrily ground his teeth, causing Nova Guy A to hide behind Guy B. The superior, however, calmed down relatively quickly and went back to his game. "But it's no big deal. I'll punish you guys later."

"Huh?"

"Right now, the big man's assigned us a new target," the superior said. "It's in Topaz City. But we're gonna need more guys before we get started. Let's go get the others."

Nova Guys A and B nodded before walking off. The superior, however, wasn't going anywhere. He was still engrossed, giggling even, over his game. He was just a few lines away from the high score.

"Commander Orion!" Nova Guy B yelled.

"I'M NOT DONE YET!"

* * *

Now you've got a glimpse at one of the Admins. I'll expand on him more once he makes a much grander entrance.

David's Pokémon Party:  
- Cyndaquil  
- Spearow  
- Hoppip

In the next chapter, David gets into a battle before reaching Lapis Cave, but Hoppip's having a little trouble getting into the battling groove...


	18. Onward to Lapis Cave!

For those of you who bothered to stick around, I missed you guys! I've just been so distracted lately. Plus, I've been trying so hard to get the wording right for these past few chapters. Your opinions mean too much to me. Really.

Chapter 18 – Onward to Lapis Cave!

Route 503. A few minutes from Lapis Cave…

"Onix, let's go!"

The Pokémon materializing on the dirt path was an enormous snake which basically looked like a chain of boulders. The Onix let out a loud bellowing roar as its trainer, a bulky hiker named Leon, stepped out from behind it.

"So who wants to go first?!"

His only challengers, of course, were two teens and one preteen: David, Faith, and Jamie, all with their jaws nearly to the ground.

"It's…so big," Faith said.

"That's what she said!" Leon quipped. "Whoa ho ho ho ho!"

"Well, go get'm David," Jamie said slapping him on the back.

"Me?!" David shouted. "What about you?!"

"All I have are bug-types," Jamie said. "I'd be squashed in less than a minute."

"Besides that," Faith said, "Onix is part ground-type. Think of this as practice for the Gym in Topaz City!"

"Oh yeah," David said. "I forgot." He stepped forward and stared up at the giant Rock Snake and flinched when Onix growled.

"Whoa ho ho ho ho!" Leon laughed. "So you wanna go first, eh? I can tell you've got plenty of spunk!"

"Uh…thanks," David said, with _no_ spunk whatsoever. "So…a rock/ground-type eh? This should be a good test for my new friend." David dug out a Poké ball from his duffel bag and tossed it out. "Hoppip, take it away!"

Hoppip emerged from the white light, spinning happily.

"Hoppip?!" Faith said, shocked.

"He's kidding, right?" Jamie said with a sweatdrop.

"You ready for your first battle, Hoppip?" David asked.

Hoppip looked at David for a second, then up at the enormous Rock Snake which lowered its head to stare back at the little cottonweed. Hoppip thusly screamed in fright and ran back to cling to David's leg.

"Hoppip, what are you doing?!" David shouted, shaking his leg hastily.

"Don't be so rough, David!" Faith yelled angrily. "I'll never forgive you if you hurt that little Hoppip!"

"Onix is a rock and ground type," David said, "so this should be easy for you!"

Hoppip nervously turned around and approached the Onix. She seemed to take David's words to heart by the look of determination on her face.

"Whoa ho ho!" Leon laughed again. "Now we're talking! Onix, use Tackle!"

"Dodge it, quick!"

Onix came barreling at Hoppip, but Hoppip quickly jumped into the air causing Onix to nearly crash into David and the others. Leon looked up to see Hoppip floating slowly back down.

"Ah," Leon said, "I forgot how light Hoppip are. Easier to get into the air than baseballs."

"Use Bullet Seed, Hoppip!"

Hoppip took a deep breath and fired a barrage of seeds from her mouth which the bulky Onix couldn't dodge. The seeds pelted Onix right in the face, but Onix simply shook it off.

"Huh??" David was clearly shocked…

"But…that should've hurt it at least a little." …but not quite as shocked as Faith.

"It's true grass-type moves hurt 'im quite a bit," Leon said, "but my Onix isn't going to take that lying down! Onix, Rock Throw!"

Onix twisted its body around and launched a rock with its tail, nailing Hoppip right in the face.

"Hoppip, no!"

"Betcha forgot Hoppip are flying-types too!" Leon said. "Now use Bind!"

Onix quickly wrapped its tail around the falling Hoppip and started squeezing her into submission. Hoppip started to scream out of sheer agony.

David clenched his fists. "Come on, Hoppip! Bullet Seed!"

"She can't!" Faith said. "Right now, she must be too scared to attack!"

_She's right,_ David said staring up at the poor cottonweed. _It's just like that time back in the tree._ "All right, Leon! Stop! I forfeit!"

"Well, ain't that a shame," Leon said. "All right, Onix. Put 'er down!"

Onix slowly lowered its tail and released Hoppip, who rolled over on her side.

"Hoppip!" David quickly ran over and knelt down next to his Hoppip. "Are you okay?"

Hoppip responded with only a weak muttering of her name.

"Tell me something, kiddo," Leon said. "How long have you had that Hoppip?"

"Uh…a few hours, I guess," David said.

"Huh, I can tell," Leon said, recalling his Onix. "You need to get to know your Pokémon better or you'll never get anywhere." He then flicked David a small diamond-shaped pill.

"Wha-?"

"That's a Revive, my friend," Leon said, turning to head for Lapis Cave. "Have your Hoppip swallow that and she'll be right as rain. Anyway, I'm gonna go on ahead! See ya!" The trio sweatdropped as Leon continued to laugh heartily.

"Lively old man, ain't he?" Jamie said.

"Hoppip, come on," David said, placing the Revive in Hoppip's mouth. "Eat this."

Hoppip swallowed the pill and opened her eyes after a few seconds. She then jumped out of David's arms and curled up into a little emo ball, causing all three trainers to sweatdrop.

"Hey, come on, Hoppip," David said sheepishly. "You didn't lose that bad."

"Uh, yeah she did," Jamie said.

"Not. Helping," David groaned.

"I guess Hoppip's not used to battling yet," Faith thought. "You know, there are lots of Geodude in Lapis Cave. Maybe she could get warmed up by battling those little guys." At that instant, the leaves on Hoppip's head stretched back out as she turned to look at Faith.

"How do you know that?" Jamie asked.

"Well, I did have to ride my bike through there on the way to Amber Town," Faith said. "I was lucky the Pokémon Centers let me sleep there along the way."

"Well, it's the best idea we've got for now," David said, scooping Hoppip into his arms.

A few minutes later…

"Yup," Faith said. "This is the place."

"Ya think?" Jamie muttered.

The three trainers stared up at the gaping maw of the stone cave which, aside from being possibly manmade, must've been 15 feet high. They could see moss growing on most of the rocks near the top.

"All right," David said, pushing up his glasses. "Let's get going, Hoppip!"

"David, wait!"

Faith's warning came too late. Hoppip squeaked happily as the two rushed straight into the cave. About five seconds later, David came rushing back out screaming with a huge pack of Zubat right behind him. All three trainers quickly hit the ground, as the bat Pokémon flew right over them.

"I _was_ going to warn you about the Zubat," Faith said.

"That would've been nice," David said as Hoppip squeezed out from under his belly. "Let's try going in more carefully this time."

"Good idea," Jamie said.

After scooping up Hoppip once again, the three trainers got back up to enter the cave…and found the road ahead pitch black. In fact, had they not been backlit by the entrance, they would've lost themselves in a matter of seconds.

"Uh…everyone's still here, right?" David asked.

"What do _you_ think?" Jamie snapped.

"Hoppiiiiip!" Hoppip clung to David's shirt in fear.

"Does anyone have a flashlight we can use?" Faith asked.

"Everyone calm down," David replied. "I've got one here somewhere." He then dug around in his duffel bag for a few seconds before pulling out a small white flashlight about the size of a ballpoint pen. The light it made when he twisted the top covered hardly any ground, but it was better than nothing. And hey, at least they could see, right? Right?

"Remind me to buy a better flashlight when we get out," David said.

"Will do," Jamie and Faith both said.

Damn.

Anyway, it had taken them a minute or so to get their bearings before continuing onward. Their progress was slow, since they were walking really close together as not to get lost but they managed to make a little more headway into the cave. And just a few seconds later…

"Hey, there's one!"

David pointed his miniscule flashlight in the direction Jamie pointed in. Sure enough, there was a rock on the wall that seemed different from the others. David had to take out his Pokédex to make sure it wasn't just another rock. And sure enough…

"Geodude – the Rock Pokémon. At rest, it looks just like a rock. Carelessly stepping on it will make it swing its fists angrily."

"Okay," David said, pocketing his Pokédex. "It is, in fact, a Geodude."

And as if to confirm his suspicions even further, the rock in question slowly turned a bit and peeked out at David from over its arm. For a while, the two simply stared at each other silently…before Geodude went back to sleep.

"Don't you ignore me!" David yelled angrily.

"Uh…this would be the perfect time to get Hoppip to attack," Jamie chimed in.

"Oh. I knew that," David said. "Hoppip, go and use Bullet Seed!"

Hoppip jumped out of David's arm and pelted the Geodude's back with a barrage of seeds, causing it to tumble down and hit the floor.

"That was easy," David said with a sweatdrop.

However, it wasn't enough. Geodude pushed himself off the floor and started chucking rocks (Rock Throw). Hoppip had to jump out of the way, but because of this, David and the others were wide open, as Jamie got himself hit right in the face, falling on his back as a result.

"Are you all right?" David asked.

"Agh…my nose is broken!" Jamie tipped his head back to try and stop the sudden trickle of blood, but in the process noticed something else: an orange, multi-legged something with mushrooms on its back scuttling right past him.

"Is that…?" Jamie sat up straight, and sure enough David was still busy trying to take down that pesky Geodude. _I've gotta take this chance!  
_

"Use Bullet Seed again!"

Once again, Hoppip fired a barrage of seeds, this time nailing the Rock Pokémon right in the face. It tumbled backwards and passed out on its side.

"Yes!" David pumped his fist while Hoppip jumped happily. "That's one down!"

"Way to go!" Faith cheered.

"Venonat, Tackle!"

David and Faith spun around to see Jamie in a battle of his own, a few feet away. Venonat slammed right into the Mushroom Pokémon, sending it tumbling back a bit. The other Pokémon responded by attacking with its sharp claws, scraping at Venonat's face.

"That's a mean Scratch attack," Jamie said. "I want it even more now! Confusion!"

Venonat fired a blast of blue energy from its eyes, forcing the Mushroom Pokémon to flop backwards.

"Now, go Poké ball!" Jamie tossed an empty ball at the Pokémon, hitting it in the belly and sucking it in. He clenched his fists tightly while the ball twitched left and right before it fell completely still.

"Yeah!" Jamie pumped his fist in triumph. "I got a Paras! But it's no surprise, really. I am the best bug trainer, like, _ever_!"

"Is that so?"

Jamie turned around to see David and Faith both frowning at him. The bug boy couldn't help but sweatdrop.

"Uh…Sorry," Jamie said. "I didn't want to bother you and Paras are pretty rare around these parts. And, well, you know how I like my bugs."

"It's all right, Jamie," Faith said. "We're not mad at you."

"Yeah," David agreed. "It's only natural for a trainer to want to catch more Pokémon. Just let us know next time. Personally, I wanted to see the whole battle."

"Uh…okay," Jamie said sheepishly before turning back to the main path. "Hey, look up ahead!"

David and Faith looked in that very direction. Before them were two more Geodude, both of which looked angry.

"Guess they've come for revenge," David said. "Oh well. We'll mop these guys up too! Go, Hoppip! Bullet Seed!"

* * *

Now I know what you're thinking. I've ended the chapter on an abrupt note, right? Well, to be honest, I really wanted to advance the story right along and I had no idea what to do in a cave. But hey, Jamie caught one of my favorite Pokémon! Back in the old Red/Blue days, its evolved form, Parasect was my secret weapon against Psychic type Pokémon. Spore and Leech Life FTW!

Anyway, in the next chapter, the trio do get out of the cave and mosey along over to the Pokémon Center. But Team Nova's back and this time, they're bringing out the big guns! But who's the guy with the sledgehammer??


	19. The Gruff Ground Trainer

You guys wanted a quick update? You got it! Time to introduce the first Gym Leader!

Chapter 19 – The Gruff Ground Trainer

"Hey! I see the exit!"

With his shout, Jamie was the first to leave Lapis Cave before reaching the open road once again. He took a deep breath before looking out over a guardrail up ahead. Down below, he could see a bustling city with quite a few large buildings, including one in particular which seemed to be under construction.

"That's gotta be it," Jamie said before turning around. "Hey guys! What's taking so long?!"

"FRESH AIR!"

That came from both David and Faith who, in a few seconds, came out of the cavern seemingly out of breath. David's Hoppip was in his arm, looking particularly exhausted. And for some reason, Cyndaquil came out from behind them both and slumped over.

"There's not enough air in there," David wheezed out while straightening his glasses.

"It didn't help when you tried to use Cyndaquil's flame when your flashlight died," Faith barely managed to snap.

"This really isn't the time to argue," David said quickly. "I just need a breather before we keep looking for Topaz City."

"We don't need to keep looking," Jamie said, sitting on the guardrail. "Look over here!"

David and Faith pushed themselves up straight and looked over the guardrail at the city below.

"Is this the place?" David asked.

"No doubt about it," Faith said. "I passed through that city on the way to Amber Town."

"Well, let's get going," David said, returning both his Pokémon. "I need to get these guys to the Pokémon Center ASAP."

Eventually…

Once again, at the Pokémon Center, the three were greeted by a very familiar face, this time wearing a pair of horn-rimmed glasses. And once again, only David and Faith were speechless.

"Something wrong?" Nurse Joy asked.

"Uh…nothing," David said sheepishly. _I'm gonna have to get used to seeing her a lot._

"So do you want her to heal Cyndaquil and Hoppip or what?" Jamie asked.

"Oh yeah." David took his Poké balls from the bag. "I think they're just exhausted from the training we did in Lapis Cave."

"Even so, exhaustion is very serious," Nurse Joy said, "and I am doing this for free, you know."

"Oh yeah," David said, handing her his Poké balls. "I've been wondering about that. How can you operate a place like this if you get no money from us?"

"It's simple, really," Nurse Joy said. "Every month, we receive a grant from the Pokémon League. The amount depends entirely on our performance, so we put our heart and soul into our work."

"Oh, that's good to know."

"Anyway," Nurse Joy continued, "we'll have your Pokémon healed up in 10 minutes."

"Thank you," David said before turning to the others. "All right, we've got ten minutes to kill. I say we get some lunch."

"I'm up for it," Faith said with a shrug. She and David turned to leave, but stopped when they noticed Jamie still hanging around by the counter. "Jamie, what are you doing?"

"Hey, Nurse Joy?" Jamie asked. "What are they building out there?"

"Oh, that?" Nurse Joy leaned over the counter to look outside. "That building is going to be a new training facility."

"Uh-huh." Jamie had stopped listening when Nurse Joy leaned over. He was too busy watching her chest pressing on the glass counter.

"The gym itself is rather small," Nurse Joy continued, unaware of what Jamie was looking at, "so they're expanding the place so trainers have a place to toughen up their Pokémon. And what's more, the head of the construction project is none other than the Gym Leader himself!"

"NO WAY!" David suddenly shouted. "We've gotta check this place ou-" David was suddenly interrupted by a loud blast of audio feedback echoing through the air, seemingly from a megaphone.

"ATTENTION, N00BS AND N00BETTES!"

"What the hell?!" David yelled, covering his ears.

Back outside, people have gathered around the construction site, but are keeping their distance because of the three people occupying the place. The ringleader wore a Team Nova uniform with a white coat over it as well as a pair of blue raver goggles strapped to his head. Alongside him were Nova Guys A and B with their respective Pokémon barricading the crowd.

"This is Orion, resident L33t H4xx0r of Team Nova!" the ringleader shouted into his megaphone. "As of right now, this facility is under our total domination! This training facility will soon be converted into a work station for Team Nova employees! But of course, we can't do it all alone. We need your help as well. Boys, get every last Poké ball they've got!"

And that was the cue for chaos. Nova Guys A and B as well as Makuhita and Cubone immediately started pinning down people as best they could and searched them for any Poké balls. However…

"Cyndaquil, Tackle! Spearow, Peck!"

Nova Guy A and Makuhita were the first to take a shot in the belly from Cyndaquil and Spearow, respectively.

"That voice," Nova Guy B said while restraining a middle aged man. "Don't tell me…"

"Wildleaf, Tackle! Marina, use Slam!"

Cubone got knocked down by Wildleaf while Marina tripped up Nova Guy B's leg with her tail, knocking him over as well.

"Hey, hey, HEY!" Orion yelled, approaching the Nova Guys. "Who said you guys could lie down?!"

"Technically, we did."

That, of course, came from David. He stepped through the crowd with Faith and Jamie right behind him. He was clearly none too pleased.

"Who the heck are you brats?!" Orion yelled.

"Those are the ones who beat us before," Nova Guy B said while calmly pushing himself up.

"And we're gonna beat the ever-loving snot out of you too!" Jamie yelled. "I want my Beautifly back right now!"

"Settle down, Jamie," David said.

"Beautifly?" Orion asked before snapping his fingers. "Oh, you mean _this_ Beautifly?" He reached into his coat pocket and took out a bluish-green ball with a sort of mesh pattern on the top.

"A Net Ball?" David asked.

"IT'S MINE!" Jamie charged at Orion, but got himself held back by David. "What are you doing?!"

"Jamie," David said in a serious tone. "This isn't like last time. Look in there."

David pointed at the building, which Orion was kind enough to step aside for. And smack dab in the middle of the ground floor was an Electrode, gently rolling side to side.

"Smart guy," Orion said with a sneer. "I see you noticed my little contingency plan. My favorite Pokémon, Electrode, is sitting nice and quiet in that building. If you happen to try anything funny, I'll have Electrode use Explosion and send this Training Center to Kingdom Come! Not only that, but all the shrapnel from the explosion will go flying all over the city! Where it'll land is anyone's guess. If you _don't_ want us to blow the place up, all you have to do is hand over your Pokémon right now or be OWNED! GYAHAHAHAHAHA!!"

The entire crowd including David, Faith, Jamie, and their respective Pokémon, all glared at the laughing Orion and his two smirking henchmen.

"What kind of man are you?" David said, clenching his fists.

"Kind of like a video game, isn't it?" Orion said. "You have to make sure not to leave any weak spots open. And this whole building is one giant weak spot! Now give us your Pokémon right now!"

"I'm afraid we won't be doing that."

The voice came from a tall, buff man making his way through the crowd. He had slightly tanned skin, a black goatee, and he wore a red vest, white shirt, black pants, black steel-toed boots, and a yellow hardhat covering up what appeared to be black dreadlocks. He swung a sledgehammer over his shoulder as he approached the Novas.

"Well, well, well," Orion said in a condescending tone. "If it ain't the Gym Leader himself."

"Huh?!" David said, staring up at the buff man. "You're the…?"

"That's right," the man said. "My name is George. And this building is _my_ pet project. But I'm sure you already knew that."

Suddenly, Nova Guy B raised an eyebrow and turned around before touching Orion's shoulder. "Commander Orion…"

"Don't take another step, old man!" Orion said, holding his hand up. "Or I'll blow this place to smithereens!"

"Old?" George said, clearly offended. "I'll have you know I'm 27 years old. That's the prime of my youth right there."

"Uh…sir?" Faith asked, a little unsure. "Do you really think you should be provoking these guys?"

"Huh?" George looked a little confused. "Who wouldn't want to provoke a bunch of wimps like these guys?"

"WIMPS?!" Nova Guy A shouted. "Who are you calling wimps?!"

"Isn't it obvious?" George said, with a smirk. "I don't see any other wimps in this entire crowd. Just the three in front of me, putting on a show."

"Commander Orion, you should…" Nova Guy B started, but once again Orion interrupted him.

"We'll see what wimps you are," Orion said, "when you're picking pieces of steel out of your hardhat! Out of all the n00bs I've met you're easily the most n00bish of them all!"

"Well, what are you waiting for?" George asked calmly. "Do it."

"You asked for it! Electrode, EXPLOSION!"

Everyone in the crowd, except George, suddenly ducked and covered waiting for the big bang and the falling shrapnel. But…

"EXPLOSION!"

…Nothing happened.

"Come on, Electrode. I don't have all day!"

Orion's jaw suddenly dropped when he saw what was taking so long. Electrode seemed to be shorting out while a Wooper was happily nuzzling against it. Both Orion and Electrode sweatdropped.

"CUTIE!" Faith crooned while opening her Pokédex.

_Wooper – the Water Fish Pokémon. It lives in cold water, half burying itself in mud at the bottom to sleep._

"Faith," David said with a sweatdrop, "this really isn't the time for that."

"What's that thing doing there?!" Orion yelled.

"Oh, you don't know about Wooper's ability?" George asked with a smile. "It's called Damp. My Wooper's oily skin is short-circuiting your Electrode so it can't explode."

"H-How did it get back there?!"

"Easy. I told it to use Dig to get back there before I walked through the crowd. Now what were you saying about weak spots?"

"That's…" David said, his eyes widening, "…that's ingenious!"

"THAT'S LAME!" Orion yelled while pulling on his hair. "I'm not letting some wimpy Wooper get in my way! Electrode, Sonicboom!"

Electrode started spinning around while Wooper bounced away. Electrode then launched a shockwave at Wooper, who easily dodged it by jumping over it.

"Wooper, use Mud Shot!" George ordered.

Wooper bent back before launching a deluge of mud at Electrode, who couldn't dodge it in time and got pushed back into one of the support beams.

"Now use Slam!"

Wooper jumped into the air again, spun around and slammed Electrode in the face with its tail, sending it rolling around and bumping into each of the beams, much like a big pinball.

"And one more for good measure!"

Wooper spun around again and smashed its tail right in Electrode's face, just as it rolled back. After that, it went rolling into the central support beam again before falling unconscious.

"My…my Electrode," Orion said, looking like he was about to cry.

"I tried to tell you, sir," Nova Guy B said.

"THEN TELL ME ABOUT IT ALREADY!" Orion yelled before being overshadowed by George's muscle-y bulk. "Uh… Hey."

George put his sledgehammer in both hands and… "BOO!"

"AAAAAAHHH!!" Orion screamed before returning his Electrode and running off. "This isn't over! You're on my n00b list, George-y boy!"

"Wait for us, Commander Orion!" Nova Guys A and B shouted as they went running after him.

As soon as they were gone, George swung his hammer back over his shoulder and the crowd suddenly went nuts, cheering and hollering and chanting the Gym Leader's name.

"Thank you very much!" George said while Wooper happily hopped back his way. "I'll sign your autographs later. Ladies first, of course," he added with a wink.

"Uh…George, sir?"

George turned around again to see David looking up expectantly at him.

"Yes?" George said. "I already said I'd be signing autographs later."

"That's not it," David said with a sweatdrop. "I'm challenging you to a gym battle!"

And just like that, the cheering of the crowd suddenly died down. The kids looked back out at the crowd, suddenly feeling like Goldeen in an aquarium. However, George simply laughed heartily.

"Hey, people! Who said to stop cheering? These kids stood up to Team Nova before I even got here! So let's hear it for them too!"

The crowd burst into cheers again and David, Faith, and Jamie sweatdropped before slowly waving back. That's when George bent down a bit to speak with David eye to eye.

"Of course, I'll accept your challenge, kid," George said, patting his shoulder. "Be at the Gym in 15 minutes."

"Uh…okay then," David said. "I will."

"Hey, wait a minute!" Jamie suddenly shouted. "Those creeps still have my Beautifly!"

* * *

Name: Orion (Admin)  
Age: 19  
Sex: He wishes  
Appearance: Spiky blonde hair, blue raver goggles  
Bio: Despite the fact that he's a big dork who plays way too many video games, this is what makes Orion an excellent tactician. His speech is littered with l33t h4xx0r slang.  
Pokémon: Electrode

Name: George Armstrong (The Gruff Ground Trainer)  
Age: 27  
Sex: Male  
Hometown: Topaz City  
Appearance: Red vest, white shirt, black pants, yellow hardhat, black goatee  
Bio: George is not just a gym leader, he is also a construction worker. He, along with several other engineers, have built a lot of new houses in Topaz City. A tad ego-centric.  
Pokémon: To be revealed

* * *

In case you're wondering, David's dinky flashlight died since last chapter so he decided to use Cyndaquil as a torch. However, Cyndaquil's flame sucked up a lot of the oxygen in the cave, hence why David and Faith are so tired.

In the next chapter, the first of many gym battles commences! Will David win? Honestly, even _I'm_ not sure how he'll pull it off.


	20. The First Gym Battle: David VS George

Chapter 20 – The First Gym Battle: David VS George

Topaz City Gym.

On the outside, the Gym itself is a fairly large building set apart from the rest of the city about the same size as Peridot City Contest Hall, if not larger. The way it was built and painted, it looked more like a giant sandcastle. On the inside…

"Whoa! Get a load of this!"

David had every right to be amazed. The battlefield appeared to be a giant rectangular pit of sand. On the wider sides of the field, Jamie and Faith sat in the stands, along with several other people from the incident involving Team Nova. There was a red square and a green square on both sides of the field, upon which David stood in the red square and George, who had emerged from a back room, stood in the green square.

"I never would've guessed you liked sand this much," David said, smirking.

"Are you kidding me?" George said, setting down his sledgehammer. "I based this whole gym on a sandcastle because that's how I got interested in construction." He then stared off into space. "Yep. It seemed like just yesterday I was just six years old, building sandcastles on the beach…but enough about me. What's your name, little man?"

David pushed up his glasses. "I'm David Cedar and I'm from Amber Town."

Soon, the referee showed up. He had evenly parted brown hair, a typical black and white vertical-striped shirt, a mustache, and a whistle around his neck. "I will now explain the rules! Each trainer will use three Pokémon. Only the challenging trainer, David, will be allowed to substitute Pokémon during battle. The Gym Leader, George, will not. There will be no time limit in this battle."

"Good luck, David!" Faith shouted.

"Kick some butt, David!" Jamie shouted, raising his net.

David clenched and unclenched his fists. _Just relax. You can do it._

"Let the battle begin!" the referee said before blowing his whistle. "TWEEEEET!"

"Allow me to get things rolling," George said, before tossing out a Poké ball. "Sandshrew, let's go!"

Emerging from the ball was a small mouse-like creature with a tough hide looking similar to a yellow brick wall. David looked at the Sandshrew curiously before opening his Pokédex.

_Sandshrew – the Mouse Pokémon. To protect itself from attackers, it curls up into a ball. It lives in arid regions with minimal rainfall._

"A pure Ground-type, eh?" David said, re-adjusting his glasses. _His Wooper can slap around a full-sized Electrode easily. It's more than likely his strongest Pokémon. I need to save Hoppip for that one. But for now…_

"Spearow, take it away!" David chucked out a Poké ball as well and his Spearow emerged, already flapping its wings to stay aloft.

_Ground-type moves don't work at all on Flying-types,_ David thought with a devious grin. "As long as Spearow's up in the air, we're good to go! Spearow, zoom in and use Fury Attack!" Spearow immediately dove at Sandshrew to attack.

"Use Defense Curl!" George ordered. Sandshrew promptly curled into a little ball while Spearow bombarded it with rapid-fire pecks. However, they didn't seem to be doing much damage.

"Now Rollout!"

Before either David or Spearow knew it, Sandshrew started rolling and smashed right into the bird Pokémon, knocking it out of the air and into the sand.

"Rollout?" David freaked out. "You're kidding!"

"That's not good," Faith said. "Rollout is a Rock-type move. And what's more, it gets stronger with every successful hit."

"I bet you thought I exclusively used Ground-type moves," George said, folding his arms. "Even in a gym battle, you need to use all sorts of moves to combat all sorts of Pokémon! Sandshrew, turn around and Rollout again!"

Sandshrew made a tight turnaround and came rolling right back while Spearow tried to get steady.

"Spearow, get off the ground!" David ordered.

Spearow quickly flapped its little wings and got back in the air just in time for Sandshrew to roll right past it.

"Spearow, return!" David recalled Spearow to its Poké ball before he rummaged through his bag for another one. "Maybe I should try something different. Cyndaquil, take it away!"

Cyndaquil was next to emerge and promptly flared up its back.

"That one won't make much difference," George said, folding his arms.

"Use Ember, pronto!"

"Fight back with Swift!"

Cyndaquil shot out a barrage of sparks while Sandshrew fired star-shaped rays from its mouth. The attacks intersected and seemed to cancel each other out in a series of small explosions.

"Looks like a stalemate," David said, adjusting his glasses.

"Not quite," George said. "Rollout!"

Sandshrew curled up and got rolling again.

"I was waiting for that," David said. "Smokescreen!"

Cyndaquil shot a jet of smoke from its back which took up a good part of the field. Sandshrew rolled right into the smoke cloud and emerged from the other side about two seconds later.

"What the…?" George was stunned.

"Tackle!"

Cyndaquil emerged from the smokescreen and slammed right into Sandshrew's back, causing it to flop over.

"Rollout's not that accurate to begin with," David explained, "and the Smokescreen only made things worse. You just got lucky that first time since Spearow was so close."

"Maybe so," George said with a grin, "but Sandshrew's just getting warmed up. Use Sand Attack!"

Sandshrew pushed itself up and kicked some sand back in Cyndaquil's face, causing it to wince and rub its squinty eyes.

"Now use Swift again!"

Sandshrew fired the star-shaped rays again, this time hitting Cyndaquil head on and causing it to tumble back. David couldn't help but grind his teeth a bit.

"That was a cheap move," David said.

"Afraid not," George responded. "As I said before, you have to use all sorts of moves to combat all sorts of Pokémon. There's no rule that says I can't use it, which is good since the Gym Leader always writes the rules! Now, if you're finished arguing about my attacks, my Sandshrew will use Rollout!"

"Crap! Smokescreen, quick!"

Sandshrew had already started rolling away before Cyndaquil disappeared in another cloud of smoke. This time, the attack connected and Cyndaquil went flying straight into the air. Meanwhile, Sandshrew turned around and started rolling in place, gaining more momentum. And once again, David was starting to panic.

_He's just waiting for Cyndaquil to come down! _David clenched his fists again. _He's gonna finish it off when it gets to the ground! _"Do something! ANYTHING!"

And as though responding to its trainer, the flames on Cyndaquil's back started to burn brighter and more intensely, as if it swallowed a cherry bomb.

"What the…?" It was clear that George wasn't expecting this.

"Incredible!" Faith said.

"I know what this is!" David said, putting his fist in his palm. "Use Ember one more time!"

Cyndaquil spun around and fired a more souped-up Ember, much like miniature comets, straight at the rolling Sandshrew and it was almost immediately engulfed in flames. By the time the fire died down, Sandshrew was unrolled and on its back, clearly out of it. A resounding "TWEEEEET!" echoed from the referee's whistle.

"Sandshrew is unable to battle! This round goes to David!"

To David and Cyndaquil's surprise, a good chunk of the audience cheered for him including Jamie and Faith.

"Nice one, David!" Faith cheered.

"You've got this one in the bag already!" Jamie shouted.

"Good work, Sandshrew," George said, recalling the Mouse Pokémon. "So are you gonna explain to us what happened?"

"It's Cyndaquil's ability," David said. "When its life is in danger, Blaze kicks in and pumps up Cyndaquil's fire-type attacks."

Cyndaquil squeaked triumphantly while its flames burned hotly.

"Well, I commend you for beating my Sandshrew," George said, taking a second Poké ball from his belt, "but let's see how you handle this!"

George tossed the ball out and, to David's complete surprise, the Pokémon emerging was none other than Wooper, who tilted its head and smiled as blankly as always.

"Can't say I saw that coming," David said. "Cyndaquil, return!" David returned Cyndaquil to its Poké ball. "Hoppip, keep it going!"

David tossed out the next ball and Hoppip emerged from the white light, floating happily to the sand below. George didn't seem fazed.

"I was wondering when you'd bring out a Grass-type," George said with a smirk.

Hoppip stared curiously at the Wooper, which stared right back. The smile on Wooper's face refused to waver.

"Uh…Something wrong, Hoppip?" David asked.

Wooper tilted its head again and Hoppip leaned in the same direction, nearly rolling over. And for some reason, the referee blew his whistle again.

"That's enough of that. RESUME!"

"Oh, right!" David said, getting his head back in the game. "Hoppip, Bullet Seed!"

"Use Amnesia!"

While Hoppip fired off a barrage of seeds, Wooper looked like it had forgotten about something before promptly curling up and taking the barrage head on. When it stopped, Wooper uncurled and seemed to be okay.

"That's weird," Faith said. "I thought Wooper would've taken more damage from that."

David clenched his fist again. "Amnesia empties a Pokémon's mind while boosting resistance to special attacks. You've thought of everything, haven't you, George?"

"I'm afraid it gets worse, little man," George said, pointing his thumb downwards. "Use Dig!" Wooper jumped into the air and tunneled headfirst into the sand. Hoppip looked a little worried.

"It's cool, Hoppip," David said, pushing up his glasses. "A Ground-type move like Dig won't even reach you."

"Jump out and use Slam!"

Wooper popped out from behind Hoppip and smacked her with its tail, causing her to tumble around in the sand. She promptly turned around and used Bullet Seed, only for Wooper to do a backflip and dig back underground again.

"Are you serious?" David asked, nearing frustration.

"I'm very serious," George said. "Dig is used for more than just a regular attack. You can use it to hide from attacks. I came up with this strategy specifically for Grass-types! Now use Slam again!"

David watched the battlefield carefully. "It's probably gonna attack from behind again…"

But to David's _and_ Hoppip's surprise, Wooper emerged from right in _front_ of the Cottonweed Pokémon and smacked her in the face with its tail. Once again, Hoppip fired a Bullet Seed only for Wooper to dive under again. Hoppip was clearly getting frustrated.

"Calm down, Hoppip!" David shouted. "He's just messing with us right now." _Although I can understand why she's getting so angry. This is getting ridiculous. Wait…I've got it!_ "Hoppip, hold still for a while."

Hoppip stared incredulously at her trainer.

"Trust me on this."

Hoppip could see the determination in David's eyes. So she did what she was told and waited.

"Hold still?" Jamie asked, hunching over on the stands. "What's he thinking?"

Faith, however, put her hands together. _I see what he's up to._

"All right, Wooper," George said with a smirk. "One more Slam should do it. Go!"

"Use Splash!"

Just as Wooper popped out to swing its tail, Hoppip jumped straight into the air, doing her own graceful backflip. By missing its attack, Wooper spun around and flopped face first into the sand.

"Huh?" George, safe to say, was dumbstruck. "S-Splash?"

"Now Stun Spore!"

Hoppip took a deep breath before releasing a cloud of orange dust straight down on Wooper. When the cloud spread away, Wooper struggled to get back up, but got paralyzed from the dust.

"We've got it now," David said, pumping his fist. "Bullet Seed!"

Hoppip fired another barrage of seeds, straight down on Wooper's back, pinning it further into the sand.

"All right, Hoppip," David said, happily. "Looks like we got it."

Wooper struggled to get back up, but flopped over again before losing consciousness. The referee blew his whistle again. "Wooper is unable to battle! The score is now 2 to 0 in David's favor!"

Once again, the crowd cheered David on while he himself pumped both fists. Hoppip jumped happily, but came floating back down breathing raggedly. "Whoa, take it easy, girl."

"Nice move with the Splash, David!" Faith called from the stands.

David couldn't help but grin. "I remembered your Contest battle with Kimberly. That's how I got the idea. I owe you one, Faith."

Faith's eyes widened. _My battle? Oh yeah! _Faith remembered it well. She remembered Marina bouncing around happily while Lickitung left holes in the Contest Hall floor from its Stomp. "I still can't believe that worked."

"Any other way, Splash would be useless," Jamie said, on the edge of his seat. "You're both pretty lucky."

"You _are_ lucky," George said, returning his Wooper. "You took out two of my Pokémon, but each of your Pokémon have taken quite a bit of damage."

"You still wanna keep going, George?" David said, folding his arms. "I did just take out your strongest Pokémon."

"Are you sure?" George said with a smirk. "Really, really sure?"

David felt a little unsure all of a sudden. "Uh…"

"Did I actually say that Wooper was my strongest Pokémon?"

David felt his eye twitch. "N…No?"

"I'll admit that Wooper is one my favorite Pokémon," George said, taking out his third Poké ball. "But my strongest by far is this one!" George tossed the ball out and a much larger white light emerged, smashing into the sand. The light faded, revealing a four-legged Pokémon covered in rocky plates and a single horn on its snout.

"Let's go…Rhyhorn!" The Rhyhorn responded with a loud grunt.

"Ohhhh, not good." It was safe to say that David's confidence had sunk into the sand.

"That thing's scary looking," Faith said, scanning the Rhyhorn with her Pokédex.

_Rhyhorn – the Spikes Pokémon. Its powerful tackles can destroy anything. However, it is too slow witted to help people work._

"Doesn't look like Hoppip can handle it," Jamie said, leaning over a little.

Hoppip slowly backed away as Rhyhorn angrily flared its nostrils.

_All right._ David thought. _This is no problem. It's just another Pokémon. It doesn't even look any bigger than Venonat. I need to think of a way to wear it down._

Once again, the referee blew his whistle. "Resume the battle!"

"Scary Face!"

Rhyhorn's eyes glowed red and glared at Hoppip, who promptly freaked out at the sight of its face and tried to bury herself in the sand.

_All right. No screwing around._ "Bullet Seed, Hoppip!"

At the sound of David's voice, Hoppip got back out and blasted Rhyhorn with a barrage of seeds. While the attack did hit, Rhyhorn shook his head and grunted again.

"Go and use Horn Attack!" George ordered.

"Use Splash and get out of the way!"

Hoppip didn't even get the chance to move. Rhyhorn had already started charging and slammed its horn right into Hoppip, sending it flying into the wall behind David. She then floated back down to the ground, unconscious.

"Oh no!" David shouted before the referee blew his whistle.

"Hoppip is unable to battle! The score is 2-1!"

"Return!" David recalled Hoppip to her Poké ball. "You did good. Rest up for now."

"That's no good," Jamie said, clutching his net tightly. "Hoppip was supposed to be David's trump card!"

"I'm sure he can work things out," Faith said, "as long as he stays calm."

David, however, was having trouble staying calm. He was starting to sweat as he stared down George's Rhyhorn, who stomped the sand angrily. And George himself wasn't making things easier.

"What's wrong, little man?" George said with a grin. "You gonna call it quits?"

David merely pushed up his glasses. _I can't listen to him. I've got this. I've already damaged Rhyhorn a good bit with that Bullet Seed. If I'm lucky, Spearow and Cyndaquil can wear it down from this point._ "Here goes!" David dug back into his bag. "Spearow, take it away!" Once again, Spearow emerged and flapped its little wings to stay up.

_Rhyhorn is really sluggish when it charges,_ David thought to himself. _That's why it used Scary Face to slow down Hoppip. If I can keep Spearow dodging its attacks…_

"Horn Attack!"

"Oh crap! Dodge it!"

Spearow flew to the right, narrowly managing to dodge Rhyhorn's charge.

_I didn't even hear the ref blow the whistle!_

"You think I'm just going to sit patiently while you think of a strategy?" George asked. "I don't give that privilege to anyone! Turn around and use Scary Face again!"

"Quick! Use Fury Attack!"

It took a few seconds for Rhyhorn to turn around. Spearow took this few seconds to fly in and start rapidly pecking its body. However, its tough hide seemed to be too hard for the little bird Pokémon's beak. Rhyhorn then glared at Spearow, just like before, causing it to squawk in terror.

"Horn Attack again!"

Rhyhorn charged right at Spearow and slammed its horn into the little bird's stomach. Spearow then went flying into the wall before falling unconscious. Another loud "TWEEEEET!" resounded through the gym.

"Spearow is unable to battle!" the referee shouted. "The score is now 2-2!"

"This is getting really bad," David said as he recalled his Spearow.

"It's all right," Faith shouted. "You still have one left!"

"She's right," George said, folding his arms. "This is your last chance to turn this around."

"Yeah," David said with a nervous chuckle. "No pressure, right?" David tried to calm himself by breathing deeply before taking his last Poké ball out. _I know it's a bad matchup, but I'm counting on you, little guy._ "Cyndaquil, it's your turn!"

David tossed the ball out and Cyndaquil emerged once again. Once again, Cyndaquil's flames burned with intensity, nearly making David jump back.

"Whoa!" David said, momentarily shielding his eyes. "I forgot Blaze was still active." A grin formed on the boy's face. "I think we can win this one!"

"A little power boost isn't gonna save you," George said.

The referee blew his whistle. "Resume the battle!"

"Horn Attack!"

Once again, Rhyhorn came charging at the blazed up Cyndaquil. However, David was ready.

"Smokescreen!"

Cyndaquil fired the cloud of smoke from his back, covering up the field. Rhyhorn charged right into that smoke cloud and came out the other side without smashing into Cyndaquil. Rhyhorn stopped with a confused look on its face.

"Now use Ember!" David ordered.

Cyndaquil emerged from the cloud, appearing right next to Rhyhorn before firing a supercharged Ember right at its face.

"You're a struggler, I'll give you that," George said. "But I'm ending this now! Dig!"

Rhyhorn started to dig a hole with its front feet and tunneled under the sand. Cyndaquil let up its assault and looked around.

"We have to keep it guessing!" David said. "Run, Cyndaquil!"

Cyndaquil turned tail and started to run. Unfortunately, because of the soft sand, it couldn't run quite as fast as it usually could. Perhaps it was because of this that Rhyhorn emerged from right underneath it and sent the little fire mouse somersaulting through the air.

"It's not enough," George said, stroking his chin. "Finish it with Horn Attack!"

"Use Ember one more time!" David shouted.

As Cyndaquil was falling back down, Rhyhorn came back charging, ready to intercept it. Cyndaquil, however, blasted Rhyhorn as much as the little thing could with a last desperate Ember attack. However, it still didn't seem to be enough as Cyndaquil took Rhyhorn's horn right in the belly, sending it rolling back and flopping face down in the sand before George's feet. For a while, neither Pokémon moved…that was, until Cyndaquil's flames died out and the little Pokémon fell unconscious, puffing out one last little cloud of smoke from its back.

David couldn't believe what he was seeing. He shook his head and buried his face in his hands. "No…We…"

For some reason, George stared up at the ceiling and exhaled. "Unbelievable."

"Both Cyndaquil and Rhyhorn are unable to battle!" The referee shouted. "This battle is a DRAW!"

"WHAT?" David shouted in sheer disbelief while the referee blew his whistle. "Th…They're _both_ down?"

The crowd also murmured in disbelief while Faith and Jamie both looked closer.

"It's true!" Jamie shouted.

"Rhyhorn's out cold!" Faith cheered.

David had to step around the battlefield to see Rhyhorn, lying in the sand, clearly unconscious. Even he couldn't believe what he was seeing. "Holy crap!"

"I guess it's clear that neither of us were expecting that," George said, cracking his neck before recalling his Rhyhorn. "I've had wins and losses in this gym, but _never_ a draw before. It's kind of funny, actually!"

"Yeah…" David said, feeling a bit unsure as he recalled his Cyndaquil. "So what happens now?"

"In the event of a draw," the referee explained, "the final decision goes to the gym leader. What do you say, George?"

George frowned and scratched his chin. The audience, including Faith and Jamie, and even David held their breath as they awaited the gym leader's decision. You could cut the tension with a knife.

"Obviously, you're not a _quick_ thinker," George said, "but you did pretty good for your first gym battle. You've got guts and I commend you for seeing this battle through to the end. I think that's a good enough reason to give you this." George reached into his vest pocket and took out a circular badge with a simplistic rendering of a desert with a sun high over the sand. "David Cedar, I tip my hardhat to you. This Desert Badge is all yours!"

The audience burst into cheers as David took the badge and stared at it. Faith and Jamie, in particular, were jumping for joy. David closed his fingers around the badge before flopping back into the sand and grinning.

"Yes…I…We got a gym badge."

* * *

I really hope I did good for the first gym battle chapter. I honestly wasn't sure what to do. Anyway, the next chapter basically be setting the scene for where everyone's going next. If you've been paying attention so far, you'll know where that is. Plus, Cyndaquil learns a new move!

Oh yes. I should've mentioned this last chapter. George's name comes from "Geo" or "Earth."


	21. Can You Dig It?

Finally, I'm getting off my butt and updating. Sorry I took so long. I've just been busy with a lot of stuff.

Chapter 21 – Can You Dig It?

"Gentlemen, BEHOLD!"

At a picnic table just outside the Pokémon Center, David proudly held out his first gym badge to his freshly healed Pokémon, all three of which stared at the little badge and went "Ooooooooh" (in their own language, of course). Faith, however, couldn't help but shake her head while Wildleaf slept in her lap. Jamie, however, was inside getting some snacks from the vending machine.

"I'll admit I had doubts," David said, feeling a little smug, "but we pulled it off. I got my first gym badge and I have you guys to thank! Now gimme some hug!"

David held his arms out and all three of his Pokémon tackled him to the ground. He couldn't help but laugh as he hugged his Pokémon.

"Aren't you tired yet?" Faith asked, getting up while Wildleaf got on the seat. "You've been going on about that thing for two hours now."

"It's not just 'that thing,' Faith," David retorted, still lying on his back. "This badge marks a giant step for me on the way to the Awani League. You don't have any ribbons, so I don't expect you to understand."

Faith simply stared down at David. She didn't look angry, but he seemed to be getting that impression. You know, that "look" that husbands usually get from their wives when they _know_ they screwed up. He immediately got back on his feet, but Hoppip still clung to his shirt.

"I mean…you don't have any ribbons, _yet_," David said nervously. "Th-There's going to be other contests, you know?"

"I know," Faith said. "And I understand you didn't mean what you said." She leaned close and stared him in the eye. "Just _don't_ say it again. Understand?"

David felt himself shrink under her Scary Face. "Right. No problem."

"Good boy." Faith patted his cheek before going back and picking up Wildleaf again.

David, however, slowly turned around and crouched down to speak to his Pokémon. "Remind me _never_ to piss her off again."

At that point, Jamie came back out with several chocolate bars and rice balls in his hands and his Venonat not far behind. "I'm ready to go!"

David and Faith couldn't help but sweatdrop. "Could you get any _less_ healthy food?" Faith asked.

"I couldn't find anything like _that_ in the vending machine," Jamie joked, "but I'll make a note of it. So where are we going next?"

"We'll be on our way to Sodalite Town," Faith said happily.

"Huh?" David said, a little confused. "What's in Sodalite Town?"

"I happened to see a commercial saying that the next Contest is in Sodalite Town. Besides, it's on the way to Malachite City. You want to get to your next gym battle, right?"

"Yeah, I do," David said, before turning to his Pokémon again. "And we're really going to have to step it up. For the next gym, we need to get a straight victory. What do you say?"

Spearow and Hoppip both chirped and squeaked in agreement. Cyndaquil, however, wasn't paying attention. He had turned around and started scratching away at the ground.

"Cyndaquil, what are you doing?" David asked with a sweatdrop.

"My guess is he's trying to learn Dig."

That came from George, who was approaching the group, to their surprise. His hard hat was in his hand while his dreadlocks waved freely.

"Hey George," David said. "I thought you healed your Pokémon already."

"I did," George said. "But I got into another battle not long after I got back to the gym. Geez…" The gym leader paused to scratch the back of his head. "To think I lost twice in one day."

"You got beat?" David asked. "Like, not in a draw?"

"Who beat you this time?" Faith asked, getting up from her seat.

"That would be me."

The group turned to a victorious Eddy Graves, looking creepy as usual, strolling over with an exhausted Totodile in his left arm.

"I'm guessing you're the one George mentioned winning a badge before me?" Eddy said in his usual grumpy tone. "You must've gotten _really_ lucky to win."

"Uh…actually…" David scratched his head awkwardly. "I just…pulled off a draw."

After a few seconds of awkward silence, Eddy burst into laughter so hard, he actually held his stomach and fell on his back. David simply frowned upon this. "You're becoming more and more of a jerk every time we cross each other!"

Eddy was still trying to stop himself from laughing as he pushed himself up. Jamie scowled at the guy while Faith folded her arms.

"Besides," David said with a sudden grin, "at least I got my first badge _before_ you did. Ha, ha, ha."

And at that instant, Eddy stopped laughing. He reached into his pants pocket and pulled out a black badge case. "I wouldn't be too sure about that." He opened his badge case and David's jaw dropped. As it turned out, he had two other badges along with the Desert Badge.

"Th-Three b-b-badges?" David sputtered.

"I already had the first two when we met in Lazuli Town," Eddy said.

"I…I'm speechless," David admitted.

"So am I," Faith said.

"Oh? Are you impressed?" Eddy asked with a grin. "I wouldn't blame you. Sometimes I blow myself away."

"Not about that," Faith said. "That badge in the middle was the Leaf Badge, wasn't it?"

"Oh, you know about that?" Eddy asked. "Yeah. I got it from the Malachite City Gym Leader. I have to admit, for a lazy, moody chump, he does _not_ pull his punches."

Eddy didn't notice Faith narrowing her eyes. And for some reason, David, Jamie, and even George felt the urge to back away. "That 'lazy, moody chump' is my Dad."

And just like that, Eddy's moxy was _gone_. "…Really?"

"Yeah," Faith said, rather bluntly. "I'm going to pretend you didn't say that. In exchange, I'd like you to head into the Pokémon Center without another word. 'Kay?"

"Yeah, 'kay." And with that, Eddy didn't even make eye contact with Faith as he headed inside at a rather rushed pace. After a few seconds, David decided it was okay to venture closer to the greenette.

"Uh…Faith? Are you upset?"

"No. Not at all," Faith said, with a surprisingly cheerful grin. "I'm glad my Dad didn't pull his punches. Although personally, I'd like to punch that jerk in the mouth," she added in a mumbling tone.

"Who was that creep anyway?" Jamie asked.

"His name's Eddy," David said, pushing up his glasses. "I battled him once in Lazuli Town."

"I was wondering why things got so heated, all of a sudden," George piped in. "Have you two got some sort of rivalry going?"

"I guess," David said, looking at the doors. "Thing is, he's so full of himself, I doubt he even remembers my name."

"Ah well, what can you do?" George said with a shrug. "There are different kinds of rivalries, I suppose. By the way, young lady," he said, turning to Faith, "is what you said true? Are you really the Malachite Gym Leader's daughter?"

"Y-Yeah," Faith said, feeling a slight bit intimidated by the scruffy Gym Leader.

"Huh. From what I heard, I thought you'd be taller in person."

Faith put her hand to her face. "You're thinking of Samantha. I'm her sister, Faith."

"Oh, I understand now." George said, putting his hands together.

"Hey, David!" Jamie spoke up. "Cyndaquil's still going to work on that dirt!"

Everyone turned to see Cyndaquil scratching away at the ground, while Spearow and Hoppip simply watched. By this point, Cyndaquil had dug out a hole about six inches deep and eight inches wide.

"Was he digging that whole time?" David asked.

"He must be really set on learning that move," Jamie said.

"It is a useful move," George said, stroking his goatee, "especially when you want to dodge something nasty like Hyper Beam or Giga Impact. Why don't I help you out?"

David and Cyndaquil both looked at George with interest. "Really? You'd do that for us?"

"Sure. It'll be easy," George said, taking out a Poké ball and spinning it in his hand. "I've already taught my other Pokémon how to Dig. It's useful when I need an even foundation for construction projects."

"Okay. Let's go for it!" David said, pumping his fist.

"All right. Wooper, let's go." George simply dropped the ball and Wooper emerged, smiling as blankly as usual. "First, watch how Wooper does it. Wooper, use Dig!"

Wooper had no trouble diving straight into the dirt, which was something considering it had no arms. Cyndaquil walked over to the hole and looked inside before Wooper popped out right between David's feet ("Whoa!").

"It's that simple," George said as Wooper hopped right back to him. "Now you try it."

"Uh…okay," David said, feeling a little unsure. "Cyndaquil, let's try it out. Use Dig!"

Cyndaquil jumped into the air, but only managed to get its nose stuck in the ground. David couldn't help but sweatdrop, not knowing that Eddy was watching the whole thing through the Pokémon Center window. And judging by his smirk, he was getting a kick out of it too.

After about five minutes, Cyndaquil seemed to be getting a hang of its new move. David decided to try a little trick by spinning before entering the ground, thereby using Cyndaquil's long nose like a drill. And after it popped head first out of the ground for the third time, George nodded in approval.

"It's still a little rough around the edges," George said, "but I'd say you're getting the gist of it. Keep working on that on the way to the next gym."

"Well, I appreciate the help," David said, before returning Cyndaquil to its Poké ball. "And…you should go get your Pokémon healed up."

George looked down to see his Wooper unconscious by his feet. He smiled sheepishly with a sweatdrop on the side of his head. "Yeah. I'll do that." He picked up his Wooper and turned to head into the Pokémon Center, just as Eddy came back out with a yawn. "Oh yeah. Once the training center is finished, you should come on back for another battle. Also, thanks for your help with those Team Nova guys."

"No problem," David said with a grin.

George went inside and David returned his other Pokémon, both unaware that Eddy's eyes were steadily growing wider and wider.

"Well, I've got nothing else to do here," David said.

"I doubt we'll make it to Sodalite City by nightfall," Faith said. "I say we take some time to train a little more, then we can leave early tomorrow morning."

"Sounds good," David said.

"Hold on a minute!"

The three spun around to see Eddy who, for some reason, looked a little miffed. "What's this about Team Nova? What did you guys do?"

"Oh, that?" David said, adjusting his glasses. "Some guy named Orion tried to blow up that training center. We helped George get rid of him and his flunkies."

"Those idiots stole my Beautifly," Jamie said, but he was pushed out of the way as Eddy suddenly marched over and grabbed David by the collar. "HEY!"

"What are you doing?" David yelled, grabbing Eddy's wrist. "Let me go!"

"Where are they now?" Eddy asked, furiously. "TELL ME!"

"I don't know!" David snapped. "George took out the guy's Electrode and they just ran away!"

David felt Eddy's grip loosen a little. "I guess he would know more…"

"What's your deal with Team Nova anyway?" David asked.

"That's none of your business," Eddy said, shoving David out of his way. "Just watch your back."

"Is that a threat?" David asked.

"No. It's a warning," Eddy said, stopping momentarily to look at the three. "Those Nova guys do _not_ mess around. Oh, and by the way, our next battle will _not_ end in a draw."

As Eddy swaggered off, David turned back and straightened out his collar.

"David, are you okay?" Faith asked as she looked at his neck.

"I'm fine," David said.

"What was all that about, anyway?" Jamie asked.

"No idea," David said, staring as Eddy kicked a soda can across the road with a little more force than necessary.

* * *

So yeah. Cyndaquil's new move is Dig. I figured this would be an interesting way for Gym Leaders to teach a necessary TM to a trainer's Pokémon instead of just giving them a disc.

Again, I'm sorry I took so long, but I've been thinking some things over. Like a new story. I figure I should make a Ranger-based fic, due to the fact that I loved the Oblivia game and the Almia game, as well as the fact that there's like a handful of Ranger fics total on this site. I already have a bunch of characters mapped out. All I need is a plot! What do you guys think?

Oh yeah. In the next chapter, David and the others meet an unusually aggressive Pokémon. And you won't believe what it is!


	22. Slow and Steady

And awaaaay we go!

Chapter 22 – Slow and Steady

The next day, 11:00 a.m.

After checking to make sure David and the others had everything they needed (which included food, a Town Map, and a bigger, longer-lasting flashlight), the three began their trek on Route 504. Said Route consisted of a dirt path cutting through a long meadow with thick shrubs dotting the ground here and there.

"All right, let's see here," David said, unfolding the map. "Looks like there's a lake not too far from here. We could catch us some Water-type Pokémon there."

"Sweet!" Jamie pumped his fists in anticipation. "Maybe I'll find some Surskit there!"

"Jamie, what is it with you and Bug Pokémon?" Faith couldn't help but ask. "You're obsessed with them!"

"I'm not obsessed," Jamie said with an angry huff. "I just love 'em is all. The thing is though that the people who battle me say that Bug-type Pokémon are the weakest type out there."

"What about your Beautifly?" David asked, tucking the map back in his bag. "It must be strong if Team Nova's willing to go and steal it."

"It's unbelievably strong!" Jamie said with a big smile on his face. "And on top of that, it's amazingly beautiful, like the name implies! But still…I know there's at least one stronger Bug trainer out there. He's a gym leader in Citrine City!"

"Citrine City?" David hastily took the map back out and turned it right side up. "That's…way on the other side! On the larger half of Awani!"

"Well, at least we're going to have a whole lot of traveling in," Faith said before noticing further down the road. "What's that up ahead?"

"Huh? Where?" David asked. His question was answered when Faith pointed towards a clump of shrubs where a large pink Pokémon resembling a hippopotamus was lying on its back. Its lower half, however, couldn't be seen past the shrubs. But what could be seen was the clear gloomy expression on its face.

"A Slowpoke?" David took his Pokédex out of his duffel bag and…

_Slowpoke – the Dopey Pokémon. Although slow, it is skilled at fishing with its tail. It does not feel pain if its tail is bitten._

"Just look at this thing," Jamie said as they ventured closer. "Lounging around all shameless like that."

"It looks so sad," Faith said, kneeling next to it. "I didn't think a Slowpoke could get this depressed."

"I always thought Slowpoke were too dumb to get depressed," David joked.

Unfortunately, he didn't seem to notice that Slowpoke glanced toward David and its eyes started glowing blue. And before he knew it, a blue outline surrounded David's body and he was lifted into the air. "WHOA! What the…?"

"WOWWW!" Jamie was clearly impressed by what was going on.

"David!" Faith shouted. "You can fly?"

"I'm not doing any-GAAAAAH!" He couldn't finish as he was actually thrown back ten feet by some otherworldly force and landed spread-eagled on his back. "Ouch…"

"What happened? EEP!" Faith suddenly found herself lifted in the air as well. And it was Jamie who took a glance at Slowpoke's eyes to figure out the truth.

"Confusion!" Jamie explained. "This is what happens when Confusion connects!"

"Make it stop!" Faith said before being thrown a similar distance and falling right on top of David. "Ugh…What a landing. Are you okay?"

David couldn't respond. His face was turning bright red…and with good reason. It seemed that Faith had landed in the exact position to smother the nerdy boy's face with her large breasts. And Faith's face was steadily turning the exact same shade of red.

"Get your head outta there you pervert!" WHAM! Jamie winced as she socked David hard in the face before she got back on her feet and brushed off her dress.

"You _know_ that was an accident," Jamie said sternly.

About 30 seconds later, the three of them sat down on the dirt path a good distance from the Slowpoke, which had flopped on its belly by this point.

"I should've known," David said, rubbing his black eye after taking off his glasses. "Confusion allows a Pokémon to move things with psychic powers. And considering that Slowpoke is part Psychic…ow…I hope this isn't infected."

"It's not," Faith said, holding up a sign that said "I'm sorry."

"What's the deal with that thing anyway?" Jamie asked, looking back at the lazy Pokémon. "I've never seen a Slowpoke that aggressive before."

"I don't know," David said, "but it's blocking the way to the lake."

"Maybe there's something happening there," Faith spoke up. "We could find something at that lake."

"Well, we have to get past Slowpoke first," David retorted, "so I suggest one of us battle it while the other two slip by."

"We may not have to! It's moving!" Jamie pointed towards Slowpoke, which had gotten up and started to turn around and walk. When the three got a look at its hindquarters, their eyes widened horribly. Apparently, a good chunk of its tail was missing. The three of them watched in mortified silence as it slouched off into the grass.

"D…Did anyone else just see that?" David asked.

"I'm not sure what I just saw," Faith replied with her hands over her eyes.

"I think we saw a Slowpoke missing part of its tail," Jamie said, causing Faith to go pale and faint flat on her back. But clearly, it wouldn't stop David.

"I'm going after it!"

"David, hold on!" Jamie's warning came too late as David ran straight into the brush. Only seconds afterwards, David was tossed backwards out of that very same brush and fell face down in the dirt. And Jamie decided to stroll up to the guy, smooth as can be.

"You forgot your glasses."

"Spare me."

Once David was back on his feet (with his glasses firmly in place), he and Jamie confronted that same Slowpoke for the third time, but it was clear that it wasn't interested in him.

"You're going to catch it?" Jamie asked, astounded.

"Of course I am," David said, digging into his duffel bag. "It's not bleeding, but I still have to get this guy to the Pokémon Center ASAP."

The Slowpoke glanced back just in time to see David bring out an empty Poké Ball.

"Now, Slowpoke, you're coming with me! Poké Ball, GO!" David tossed the empty ball at the Slowpoke, but it couldn't get close enough for a successful catch. Why? Slowpoke actually used Confusion on the ball and sent it flying right back into David's belly. "OOF!"

David crumpled to the ground, curled in the fetal position. Jamie couldn't help but put hand to face. "David, this is the third time it's outsmarted you. Maybe you should just let it go."

"I'm not letting it go," David said, pushing himself back up. "It's so badly hurt, and it still has the gall to fight like that." Slowpoke continued to glare defiantly at David, who dug out another Poké ball from his bag.

"As much as I don't want to," David said, almost growling, "you're not giving me any other choice. Hoppip, take it away!" David tossed the ball out and Hoppip emerged with a smile on her face. "Use Bullet Seed!" Hoppip shot a barrage of seeds from her mouth and Slowpoke, unable to dodge, had to take the attack in the face. Slowpoke responded by opening its mouth wide and yawning out a big bubble. The bubble floated over to Hoppip's face and abruptly burst, causing Hoppip to rub her eyes as a result.

"Aw man, not Yawn!" David said. "We need to wrap this up quick. Use Tackle!"

Still looking drowsy, Hoppip flitted over towards Slowpoke and crashed into its head. And just as Slowpoke slumped over, Hoppip flopped on her back and fell asleep.

"That's good enough, Hoppip," David said. "Now, let's try this again! Poké Ball, GO!" David tossed the empty ball again, hitting Slowpoke right on its forehead and sucking it inside. David flexed his fingers as the ball twitched here and there before hearing a quiet "ding".

"Went a little rough on the poor guy, didn't you?" Jamie asked.

"I know," David said, picking up the ball. "But I didn't have a choice. Let's pick up Faith and find a Pokémon Center ASAP."

The closest Pokémon Center, ironically, was back in Topaz City so the three of them had to double back and fast. Nurse Joy was surprised to see the three of them.

"I didn't think I'd see you three again today," Nurse Joy said.

"We've got a problem!" David shouted, nearly slamming Slowpoke's Poké Ball on the counter. "This Slowpoke's missing its tail! I think it might have gotten its tail chewed off by some big Pokémon!"

"UGH!" Faith put her hands over her ears. "David, don't say gruesome things like that!"

"Unfortunately, that's not the case."

The three of them were stunned when the nurse spoke up. "E-Excuse me?" David asked.

"You're not the only ones to report this case," Nurse Joy said. "Around Rain Dance Lake, there have been quite a few reports about Slowpoke missing their tails and some trainers have even brought them in for me. However, their tails were most certainly _not_ chewed off."

"How do you know that?" Jamie asked with a tilt of his head.

"I've inspected the damaged areas, and I've noticed their tails were cut clean off. If they were chewed off, the damage would've been much messier."

"Oh yeah," David said, rubbing his chin. "I noticed that too."

"But what does it mean?" Faith asked.

Nurse Joy looked down at Slowpoke's ball. "I fear this may be the work of a poacher."

"WHAAAAT?" All three of them shouted in utter shock.

"You mean someone's deliberately doing this?" David shouted, leaning over the counter.

"No one has seen the culprit during the day," Nurse Joy answered, gently pushing David back. "And so far, no one has bothered to look for them. This poacher is likely operating at night."

"Night, huh?" David looked down at Slowpoke's ball before Nurse Joy picked it up.

"That being said, a Slowpoke's tail will grow back. I'll have a look at this one and try to speed up its regeneration." As Nurse Joy walked into the back room, a plan formulated in David's mind. His glasses glinted for an instant.

"So he only comes at night," David said, pushing up his glasses. "Are you guys thinking what I'm thinking?"

* * *

I sure am. But that's because I'm writing the story. Finally, I'm getting back into the writing groove! I had to update my character sheets to include the new Pokémon from Black and White. For the next chapter, our trio stake out Rain Dance Lake in the dead of night. And I'm betting you know who the mysterious poacher is.

David Cedar  
- Cyndaquil  
- Spearow  
- Hoppip  
- Slowpoke(?)


	23. The Beautiful Cygnus

Chapter 23 – The Beautiful Cygnus

Route 504. 11:58 p.m.

"I don't wanna do this," Faith moaned.

"Then go back already!" Jamie snapped. "If you're just going to complain, then go back to the Pokémon Center!"

"I can't go back! I know I want to catch this poacher red-handed, but if we catch him in the act…" Faith shuddered at the thought of actually seeing a Slowpoke's tail getting brutally butchered. "I can't handle gruesome things like that!"

"THEN GO BACK!"

"Children," David said, pushing up his glasses again, "can we focus, _please_?"

Apparently, David's plan to catch the poacher was to hide in the bushes at night where they would have a clear view of the lake. Once the poacher was in view, the three of them would attack at once with their Pokémon. With the full moon reflecting on the surface, the water seemed to sparkle quite a bit.

"Why do they call this place Rain Dance Lake anyway?" Jamie asked.

"Slowpoke may be dimwitted," David answered, "but they're actually believed to summon rain when they yawn. I did some reading back at the Center before we came back up here. Apparently, this lake used to be a big giant crevice, but a group of Slowpoke gathered and started yawning. Not long after that, a torrential downpour started and filled the whole thing up with rainwater in a matter of days."

It was easy to see that Faith was dazzled at the thought. "I wish I could've seen it happen."

"It doesn't sound that special to me."

"Well, you're not a romanticist like me, Jamie," Faith said with a slight huff.

Jamie raised an eyebrow and said "I didn't say that."

Before they could say anything else, a ball of shadowy energy smashed into the back of David's head and exploded… "GAAACK!" …sending him tumbling several meters down the hill.

"DAVID!" Faith shouted just before both she and Jamie were sent tumbling down the hill as well after they both got a hard hit to the backs.

David rubbed the back of his head and straightened his glasses. "Are you guys okay?"

"I'm fine," Faith said, pushing herself up.

"Look up there!" Jamie's finger pointed at the culprits. In the middle was a floating cloak-looking Pokémon with yellow and red eyes, a large head looking like a witch's hat, and a sneer on its face. On either side of it were two smaller round Pokémon that looked like garbage bags with teeth. David took out his Pokédex and scanned each one.

_Mismagius – the Magical Pokémon. Its cry sounds like incantation. It is said that the cry may rarely be imbued with happiness-giving power._

_Trubbish – the Trash Bag Pokémon. Inhaling the gas they belch will make you sleep for a week. They prefer unsanitary places._

"Ewwww," Faith said with a cringe.

"I suppose it's natural for anyone to cringe at the smell of garbage," a crass female voice spoke up. "Allow me to lighten up the scene. Mismagius, Flash!"

Mismagius' eyes lit up, blinding the kids for a few seconds. Once their eyes focused, a woman could be seen. She wore a purple unitard with a matching overskirt with black stripes near the bottom. With her legs exposed, you could see a pair of leather boots which reached halfway past her knees. Covering her arms were a pair of sleeves cut off from the rest of her outfit. On her chest was a stylized "N" along with a ruby necklace. Her hair was long, black, and wispy and her eyes, an eerie gold color.

"Do you find me stunning?" the woman asked. "I'm not surprised. I _am_ the most beautiful member of Team Nova. And what's my name, you ask?"

Two female Nova grunts with a couple machetes at their hips came out from behind her and fired a pair of confetti poppers. "She is our astonishing Admin, Lady Cygnus!"

THWACK! THWACK! "Lady" Cygnus took this opportunity to slap her underlings in the back of their heads.

"Owww!" Nova Girl A said. "Why did you hit us?"

"I told you before to do the confetti _after_ the intro!" Cygnus snapped. "And did you have to fire it into my _hair_?"

While she was busy snapping at her underlings, Cygnus' Mismagius glanced back with a sweatdrop. Only to get a Razor Leaf attack right in the face, courtesy of Wildleaf, who Faith had just called out.

"Who said you could attack my precious Mismagius?" Cygnus barked, clearly infuriated. "Don't you _children_ have any manners?"

"Why should we show manners to you people?" Faith barked right back.

"You might as well confess right now," David said, rubbing his neck. "You've been cutting off Slowpoke tails, haven't you? Those knives you're carrying are proof enough."

The grunt girls tried to hide their machetes behind their backs, but Cygnus simply waved a hand. "So what? Slowpoke are slow, stupid, useless Pokémon, but their tails have a special oil gland they use to attract prey. In fact, it's what they use to attract Shellder in order to evolve into Slowbro. They can't even _evolve_ on their own! We only need their tails in order to hunt for rare Pokémon."

David pushed up his glasses as all three glared at the Team Nova people. "You people are deplorable. You're even worse than Orion!"

"Orion's a big loser who can't stop playing video games!" Nova Girl A snapped. "He deserved what he got from that gym leader guy!"

"And so what if we're deplorable?" Nova Girl B said. "We're in pursuit of power. And you can't make an omelet without breaking a few eggs."

"And we don't need to worry about you telling the police," Cygnus said with a sneer. "Our Pokémon won't let you go anywhere. Now off you go, girls. Chop off some stupid Slowpoke tails," she practically sang out.

However, the two Nova Grunts and their Trubbish didn't make much headway as David and Jamie both blocked their way. "_Who's_ not going anywhere?" David asked.

"Trubbish, use Pound," both girls said at once. The two Trubbish both hit David and Jamie in the stomachs, knocking the wind out of both of them. As soon as they hit the ground, both Trubbish sat on their backs. David grunted a bit trying to get back up, but stopped when one of the girls held a machete to the bridge of his glasses.

"Just be glad we didn't use these babies," Nova Girl A said.

"Chop, chop, ladies," Cygnus said, folding her arms. "We don't have all niiiight."

"Use Razor Leaf again!" The grunt girls had to shield themselves with their blades as they and their Trubbish took another volley of Wildleaf's Razor Leaf. She and Faith were fuming over this whole fiasco. "This is disgusting! What gives you the right to do this?"

"Right?" Cygnus put on an arrogant grin. "I have every right in the world. Just look at me." Cygnus placed her hands on her hips. "It doesn't matter what I do. Whether it's hurting innocent Pokémon or punishing ignorant kids, as long as it gets the job done, everyone will forgive me. And why is that, you ask?"

"Because she's beautiful!" both grunt girls cheered enthusiastically. "You're amazing, Lady Cygnus!" And in a similar manner, both Trubbish cheered for Mismagius, who simply tilted its head.

Cygnus chuckled, amused by how easily her girls and their Trubbish would worship her. "So tell me, little girl. What do you think of me?" she asked with a wink.

Faith ground her teeth in frustration. "That's it? You all infuriate me! And as for your so-called beauty? That hair, that outfit, it all screams Bride of Frankenstein! UGH!"

The Nova girls and their Trubbish gasped in shock. And apparently, that was all the distraction they needed for David and Jamie to hoist both Trubbish over their heads.

"Get these things off our backs!" David and Jamie both shouted as they chucked the Trubbish at the Grunt girls and knocked them on their backs. Both girls shuddered as they looked up at their boss, who was clearly seething.

"Frankenstein?" Cygnus asked through gritted teeth. "Bride of Frankenstein?"

"No, wait! That's not what she-MMPH!" One of the grunt girls spoke up, but was silenced by having Cygnus' heel in her mouth.

"Oh, no," Cygnus said. "I heard quite clear. And I don't tolerate that kind of sass mouth."

"Well, forgive _me_ for speaking the truth," Faith snapped. "David, Jamie, let's teach them a lesson: three on three!"

"Sounds good to me," David said. "Cyndaquil, take it away!"

"I'm with you," Jamie said. "Go, Venonat!"

Both boys sent out their respective Pokémon. Cyndaquil immediately flared up the vents on its back while Venonat hopped from side to side.

"I'll be glad to punish all three of you," Cygnus said. "Mismagius! Trubbish! Front and center!" The grunt girls got up as the two Trubbish stood side by side with Mismagius.

"We can take out that Chikorita easily!" the grunt girls said in unison. "Trubbish, use Acid Spray!" Both Trubbish spat out a nasty green liquid at Wildleaf.

"Cyndaquil, counter that with Ember!"

"Venonat, use Confusion!" With respective blasts of fire and psychic energy, both Pokémon managed to destroy the spattering of acid.

"Now it's my turn!" Faith said. "Wildleaf, use Razor Leaf!" Chikorita leapt up and flung out more razor sharp leaves. Mismagius was clearly knocked for a loop, but the Trubbish twins had taken minimal damage yet again.

"You'll have to do better than that," Cygnus retorted. "Mismagius, use Psychic! Bring that Chikorita down _now!_" Mismagius' eyes glowed blue and with a burst of psychic energy, it looked as though a heavy weight was brought down on Wildleaf's back. Wildleaf struggled to stay on its feet.

"Come on, Wildleaf," Faith shouted. "Fight back!"

"Now, Trubbish," the grunt girls called out, holding out their machetes, "use Pound on the other two!"

"Cyndaquil, dodge!"

"Look out, Venonat!" Both Pokémon had to jump back to avoid the Trubbish's attacks.

"Don't stop, Trubbish!" the grunt girls happily ordered. "Pound and Pound again!" The two Trubbish kept running after Cyndaquil and Venonat, giving them both a good smack and knocking them on their backs!  
"Come on, Venonat! Get up!" Venonat pushed itself back on its feet.

"Cyndaquil, up! Up!" Cyndaquil pushed itself up as well. "It looks like they're trying to push us back and single out Wildleaf," David said.

"Of course," Grunt Girl A said. "No one insults Lady Cygnus."

"That little girl deserves whatever punishment she gets," Grunt Girl B said.

"All right, Mismagius. Enough of that." Cygnus put on an evil sneer. "Fire a Shadow Ball at that wretched girl!"

"What?" Faith clearly didn't expect this. Mismagius let up on the Psychic attack, allowing Wildleaf to breathe easy before launching a ball of shadowy energy right at Faith, having it explode on her stomach and knocking the wind out of her. Wildleaf was utterly shocked as Faith took a tumble down the hill, rolling past the boys and into the water.

"FAITH!" David threw off his jacket and his bag before running into the lake after her while Cyndaquil ran after _him_.

"David, wait!" Jamie shouted, as he was now alone with Venonat, and the quite exhausted Chikorita. The fear on his face was very evident.

"Now that she's out of the way," Cygnus said, brushing a lock of hair from her face, "let's take that Chikorita. This little bug's just a weakling, but Chikorita are very rare indeed. That should teach her to insult me! Ha ha!"

"Oh no you don't!" Jamie shouted. "Venonat, use Tackle on Mismagius!" Mismagius didn't even move as Venonat passed right through it. And the two Nova Girls couldn't help but laugh it up.

"Look at how desperate he is!"

"Forget your glasses at home? Normal attacks don't work on Mismagius!"

"Keep going, Venonat!" The Nova Girls stopped laughing as they realized that Venonat's real target was Cygnus…who swatted the Insect Pokémon back with her bare hands and with a bored look on her face.

"Like I said," Cygnus said as Venonat bounced on the ground. "Weakling. Now move it, ladies! The sooner you get Chikorita, the happier I'll be!"

Wildleaf gritted her teeth as Mismagius and the Trubbish twins inched closer and closer. However, before any of them knew it, Wildleaf started yelling and her eyes and broad leaf started glowing with green light. Mismagius and Trubbish looked uneasy at this development.

"What's going on?" the Nova Girls asked.

"That's Overgrow," a drenched Faith shouted after being helped out of the water by David. "When Chikorita's power is low, her Grass-type moves are powered up! This is great!"

"What does it matter?" Cygnus shouted. "Use Shadow Ball again!"

"Wildleaf, use Razor Leaf!" While Mismagius charged up a ball of shadowy energy, Wildleaf flung out a volley of glowing green leaves which flew faster than before, shredding up Mismagius, who floated to the ground. However, the Magical Pokémon still struggled to get back in the air.

"Venonat," Jamie shouted, "use Confusion on Trubbish!" Venonat's eyes glowed blue as one of the Trubbish started to float in the air. "Now drop it!" Venonat's eyes stopped glowing and the Trubbish actually fell on top of Mismagius, knocking them both out.

"How dare you?" an enraged Cygnus yelled.

"I'll get 'em for you, my lady!" Nova Girl B shouted. "Use Acid Spray!" Trubbish was about ready to spit out another glob of green acid, but was cut short when Cyndaquil popped out from right underneath it from a hole in the ground, sending the Trash Bag Pokémon flying five feet in the air.

"Yes!" David pumped his fist. "That Dig's getting better."

The second Trubbish plopped down on top of both the first Trubbish and Mismagius. Cygnus couldn't help but growl.

"Got any more?" Faith yelled as Wildleaf, Cyndaquil, and Venonat lined up, looking very angry. Because of this, Cygnus and the Nova Girls promptly recalled their respective Pokémon.

"You'd better hope I never see you again," Cygnus said as she threw something on the ground that kicked up a giant cloud of smoke. David, Faith, and Jamie stood still even a while after the smoke dissipated and Cygnus and her girls had disappeared. After that, all three collapsed to the ground and lay on their backs.

"I'm so exhausted," David said as Cyndaquil sat down next to his head. "But at least we won."

"I'm so proud of you, girl," Faith said, hugging Chikorita.

"I'm too tired to even go to the Pokémon Center," Jamie said, snuggling up with Venonat.

"I'll dish out some Potions tomorrow morning," David said, clutching his Cyndaquil. "For now, we can sleep out here."

"Ooh, that sounds nice," Faith said, making herself comfortable on the grass.

"G'night, guys," Jamie said, already nodding off.

David closed his eyes as well. He could briefly hear someone yawning. And not long after that, he could feel something dripping on his face, then the rest of his body. All three of them shot up once they knew what it was.

"RAIN!"

"Get to the trees!" Jamie yelled. Apparently, what David read about Slowpoke's yawning was true. That, and he would have to purchase a few tents.

* * *

Name: Cygnus (Admin)  
Age: 19  
Sex: Female  
Appearance: Black hair with red tips, ruby necklace  
Bio: A selfish workaholic diva, Cygnus commonly resorts to whatever means necessary to get even the simplest jobs done. It's said she spends a whole hour getting her hair just right.  
Pokémon: Mismagius

And just so you know, I did indeed base her look on Misdreavus.

In the next chapter, David and the others make it to Sodalite Town with plenty of time to register for the next Contest. However, a wild Pokémon makes off red-handed with Faith's purse!


End file.
